THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY

Although contemporary society often deems Christianity as sexist, the early church brought an increase in status to the women of its time. In his book, The Rise of Christianity, Rodney Stark discusses how Christian doctrine lead not only to a shift in gender ratios, but also to rational change in how women were viewed and treated. The belief system in the Christian subculture, in regards to women, may have been one of the greatest factors in the success and spread of the early church or rise of Christianity. This is why Christian women enjoyed higher status than that of the pagan women.
Pagan women in the Greco-Roman world were often viewed as property of a man. Since man dominated the pagan culture, women were also treated as children and were not respected regardless of their stage in life. Stark presents the idea that women will enjoy a greater amount of power and freedom in an environment where they outnumber the males. This was the case in the Christian subculture. In pagan cultu...