WOMAN IN RELIGION - JUDAISM AND KARAISM AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON WOMANS ROLE IN COMMUNITY

Social role has a strong influence on people, they want to properly fulfil their roles to gain acceptation. At the same time, living in a predictable and comprehensible world demands that others behave according to their roles. The roles we fulfil have a great impact on our identity, other people perceive us and we perceive ourselves through the roles. The thesis of this article is that religion is the scriptwriter of social roles. As an example we take communities built on religion: Judaism and Karaism. These minorities survived until today having their own tradition and identity. The phenomenon is based on dualistic approach to woman's role in the community. On one hand they have been limited to the role of a mother and a wife, on the other hand they have been burdened with responsibility for survival - in a physical and metaphorical sense - of the community. The transmission of cultural heritage and identity of Jews and Karaites depended on them. Both the theory of social roles and religious laws and traditions will be shown outlining their influence on shaping woman's role in the community back then as well as nowadays.