Theoretical Foundations of the Principle of Equality Between Men and Women in the Realm of Secular Human Rights and its Requirements

The equal rights of human beings, and that of men and women are emphasized principles in the human rights texts. However, the concept of equality in these texts is general and abstract and its exact and uniform meaning is not provided. For this reason, the existing ambiguities in this regard have always been controversial and problematic at the stage of legislation and operational definition. Also, the deliberation of secular thinkers’ works shows that this principle is assumed by them and is not based on argumentative or empirical reasoning. Hence, there is a mismatch in the theoretical structure of materialist secularism between the human rights’ view and the other epistemological sights.

In the realm of feminist thought, as well, the issue of gender equality is disputed, and the reaction of different perspectives on the biological differences between men and women has not been the same; Some views have ignored these differences and called for absolute equality, some because of women’s moral privileges, believe in their superiority over men, while others have emphasized the importance of biological and psychological differences and called for respect for their rights.

Considering the theoretical foundations of secular natural law and feminism, it can be seen that the principle of equality due to objective differences can be proved only by relying on the common characteristic between all human beings and men and women as well, which is the same abstract human truth confirmed by revelatory teachings.