The creation of Adam and Eve has been wildly influential for modern cultures, especially in relation to gender norms and expectations. Generations of people have read the creation stories in Genesis—more specifically, the story in Genesis 2-3—and have come to a similar conclusion: that there is a clear gender hierarchy established in this narrative, with the man as the dominant, independent player and the woman as the subservient helper to the man. This understanding of the story has directly impacted how modern audiences view the roles of men and women, as Adam and Eve are viewed as prototypical models of the gendered human experience. Subsequently, there is a whole culture of people who view women as the inferior gender. This understanding of gender has been particularly damaging for women, and has been used to justify the continued suppression of female persons. But this is not the only way to understand the creation of humanity; in fact, a closer look at the narrative itself indicates that a more egalitarian understanding of gender is a better interpretation of the text.