Article Title: Do secularism and gender equality really go hand in hand?

Article Summary

This is a terrific article from a reading comprehension perspective. The article is based on the topic of secularism (the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions) and gender equality. The author highlights that one notion held for long is that: One long-held assumption is that gender equality is an enduring principle of secularism, characterized by the separation of the political from the religious and the public from the private.

He then goes to discuss the work of Joan Wallach Scott, and her new book, Sex and Secularism. In this book, the author Joan Wallach Scott goes on to challenge the above notion and states that: The notion that equality between the sexes is inherent to the logic of secularism”, she argues, “is false”.She provides her reasoning for the same.

The author then goes on to challenge her reasoning in the last part of the article and points out the flaws in her reasoning. Overall, this is an absorbing read that is going to challenge you as well as provide you ample new terms to explore.