Breaking a taboo may serious consequences, ranging from imprisonment to social ostracism. The idea of a universal taboo is questionable, but some taboos, such as cannibalism, incest, and genocide, occur in the majority of societies.".
If we focus on taboos about women, we do have different concepts and ideas based on sex, menstruation or postpartum. Anthropology studies have proven that these taboos increase the so called differences between women and men. Nowadays, women situation has improved. They are now able to claim for the same rights as men, their value in society, in marriage and family. Women are present in every single scope, as in education, economics, politics, and health. Some examples of these taboos about women in religion will be mentioned. Christianity, for example, offers women a role, in which the first step is the baptism, where women not only are name Christians, but also received an identity (their name, Christian name which already gives them a sexual identity and the next step would be the Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage (known as The Sacraments). These steps help to become a recognized Christian. The problem is that when people, especially women, do not follow these steps, they are hardly criticized. In the past, as in present time, some societies expect girls dressed in white at the moment of their, as a symbol of their purity communion. They are dressed in the likeness of the Virgin Maria, who is the perfect Christian woman. In this way, the virginity becomes a religious value because the virginity of girls is, in large part, a function of the form of marriage transaction. In a similar manner in cultures with an orthodox practice of Islamic Religion, it is observed the subservient role of women about their husbands was purity and obedience exemplify the characteristic ascribed to the "good wife.".
These are two examples that reflect how religious systems impose a set of rules that primarily affect the behavior of women.