Taoism and Australia have very different gender roles, expectations and stereotypes, though both cultures pride themselves on having gender equality.
Taoism began as a religion in 142CE but it had grown out of beliefs form various other religions including Buddhism and Naturism. Lao Tzu, the highest Venerable Lord in the Chinese Emperor's court created the Tao de Jing, a collection of poems explaining the Taoist way of life. The fundamental belief of Taoism is that all beings should become unified with the universe through a balanced and peaceful way of living.
In contrast, Australian society encourages and even glorifies outgoing and free wheeling behaviour. Hence, Australian gender roles encourage people to be outgoing. Nonetheless, there are still very confining gender roles and expectations for both men and women, that is largely inherited from British culture.
This site explores and contrasts gender roles, expectations and stereotypes between Taoism and Australian mainstream culture. The video below gives a brief overview of one of the fundamental beliefs in Taoism.
Taoism began as a religion in 142CE but it had grown out of beliefs form various other religions including Buddhism and Naturism. Lao Tzu, the highest Venerable Lord in the Chinese Emperor's court created the Tao de Jing, a collection of poems explaining the Taoist way of life. The fundamental belief of Taoism is that all beings should become unified with the universe through a balanced and peaceful way of living.
In contrast, Australian society encourages and even glorifies outgoing and free wheeling behaviour. Hence, Australian gender roles encourage people to be outgoing. Nonetheless, there are still very confining gender roles and expectations for both men and women, that is largely inherited from British culture.
This site explores and contrasts gender roles, expectations and stereotypes between Taoism and Australian mainstream culture. The video below gives a brief overview of one of the fundamental beliefs in Taoism.