Final answer:
Gender roles vary widely among different world religions and philosophies, with some offering more equality and empowerment for women than others.
Step-by-step explanation:
Genders roles vary widely among different world religions and philosophies. For example, in Brahmanist teachings before Buddhism, women were seen as spiritually unclean and excluded from public rituals. On the other hand, Buddhism promised women an elevated status and greater participation in the community's spiritual life, but still had patriarchal elements. In Chinese culture, the Yin and Yang view of the sexes allowed for some independence and freedom for women, especially with the influence of Buddhism and Daoism. Gender roles are also influenced by economic systems, such as hunter-gatherer societies where men hunt and women gather, while agriculturalist societies may have different gender roles. Muslim cultures have their own ideals of masculinity and femininity, which can be enacted and resisted in everyday life. Some non-European cultures have alternative gender categories that accommodate the complexities of human sex/gender and sexuality. Overall, the views on gender roles vary greatly across different world religions and philosophies.