Gender and Religion
Feminist approaches to religion
- Feminists focus on the way in which many existing religions are patriarchal
- Writers like DE BEAUVIOR and EL SAADAWI see religion and religious ideology as playing a
part in maintaining the male domination over women
- This is achieved by religious ideas that seek to control women’s sexuality (FGM) and
emphasise their once-trad. roles as wives, mothers and carers in the family
Liberal feminists
- Likely to aim for more equality for women within existing religions
- Seek to remove obstacles that prevent them from taking on positions of authority e.g.
priests, bishops, religious teachers
Radical feminists
- See most contemporary religions as existing for the benefit of men
- They either present a fundamental challenge to religion altogether or seek to reshape it by
recapturing the centrality of women in religion of early times
Marxists feminists
- Emphasise the Marxist view that religion acts as the ‘opium of the people’, focusing on the
way in which religion acts as a means of compensating women
- In particular, they focus on working class women for their double exploitation through their
status as being both working class and women
Are all religions patriarchal?
- Women haven’t always been subordinate within religion
- In Ancient pagan religions, Hinduism and in modern New Age religions there are female
goddesses and women seem to dominate in New Age spirituality
- ALDRIDGE also suggests that gender equality can be found among contemporary groups
like the Society of Friends, the Unitarians and the Baha
Patriarchy and religion
- However, most mainstream religions tend to be patriarchal and women and men are rarely
treated equally
1. Religious Scriptures
- Women either invisible or occupy subordinate positions to men in most religious scriptures
- Example: Eve is evil temptress who led Adam astray and laid the basis for original sin in
Christianity and Judaism
- God always seen as a male, father figure / Jesus is male / 12 apostles all men / Mohammed
is a man
- ALDRIDGE notes that in the Qur’an, woman are legally inferior to men, lacking the same
rights as their husbands to whom they must submit
- DE BEAUVOIR argues that most scriptures in most religions suggest that ‘man is master by
divine right’
2. Barred from priesthood
- Women excluded from priesthood or equivalent in R.C, Orthodox, Islam and Hinduism
- In Orthodox Judaism, only males are allowed to take a full part in ceremonies
Feminist approaches to religion
- Feminists focus on the way in which many existing religions are patriarchal
- Writers like DE BEAUVIOR and EL SAADAWI see religion and religious ideology as playing a
part in maintaining the male domination over women
- This is achieved by religious ideas that seek to control women’s sexuality (FGM) and
emphasise their once-trad. roles as wives, mothers and carers in the family
Liberal feminists
- Likely to aim for more equality for women within existing religions
- Seek to remove obstacles that prevent them from taking on positions of authority e.g.
priests, bishops, religious teachers
Radical feminists
- See most contemporary religions as existing for the benefit of men
- They either present a fundamental challenge to religion altogether or seek to reshape it by
recapturing the centrality of women in religion of early times
Marxists feminists
- Emphasise the Marxist view that religion acts as the ‘opium of the people’, focusing on the
way in which religion acts as a means of compensating women
- In particular, they focus on working class women for their double exploitation through their
status as being both working class and women
Are all religions patriarchal?
- Women haven’t always been subordinate within religion
- In Ancient pagan religions, Hinduism and in modern New Age religions there are female
goddesses and women seem to dominate in New Age spirituality
- ALDRIDGE also suggests that gender equality can be found among contemporary groups
like the Society of Friends, the Unitarians and the Baha
Patriarchy and religion
- However, most mainstream religions tend to be patriarchal and women and men are rarely
treated equally
1. Religious Scriptures
- Women either invisible or occupy subordinate positions to men in most religious scriptures
- Example: Eve is evil temptress who led Adam astray and laid the basis for original sin in
Christianity and Judaism
- God always seen as a male, father figure / Jesus is male / 12 apostles all men / Mohammed
is a man
- ALDRIDGE notes that in the Qur’an, woman are legally inferior to men, lacking the same
rights as their husbands to whom they must submit
- DE BEAUVOIR argues that most scriptures in most religions suggest that ‘man is master by
divine right’
2. Barred from priesthood
- Women excluded from priesthood or equivalent in R.C, Orthodox, Islam and Hinduism
- In Orthodox Judaism, only males are allowed to take a full part in ceremonies
