Women in Comparative Societies

Women and Religion

First, let’s consider the relationship between religion and culture

What is it?

Religion is not synonymous with culture

But it often seems that way

At the same time, cultural beliefs, practices become codified in religion

Giving them a permanence they might otherwise lack

Religious rituals, symbols, customs, beliefs

Transmit ideas across generations

**Religion is used by those with POWER (or seeking it)

To legitimate their ideas, to disempower those they perceive as threatening to their power

Religious and Spiritual Diversity

Range of roles and teachings across religions

But also within religions

Liberal/conservative/orthodox/fundamentalist

Interpretive/dogmatic

Religious Fundamentalism

Fundamentalists have most restrictive ideas women’s roles

Insist on their subordination to men

Obsesses with controlling sexuality

Reject human rights framework

as a threat to their beliefs; culture; traditions

Insist on ancient scriptures texts; divine inspiration of their texts/ authors/prophets

For fundamentalists, religion as a total worldview, inseparable from politics/public policy

“benevolent sexism”

Protective paternalism: women and girls are/must be protected by fathers, husbands

Complementary Gender Differentiation: men and women are ESSENTIALLY different, by god’s design

Heterosexual Intimacy: heteronormativity; sexual relationship between husband and wives is central to god’s plan

Public vs. Private Roles

Women instrumental in the practice of every religion

Maintaining traditions, rituals at home

Food, feasts, celebration, commemorations

Critiquing and Deconstructing Religion

Masculine God-Language and Imagery

God the father Does it matter? How? Why?

Sexism in Religious Texts

Why is there sexism in religious texts?

Men authored them

Emphasized what men were doing

Ignored women’s contributions, what women were doing

Over time, become even more patriarchal as men accrued more public power

Gender-Segregated Religious Practices

Reforming and Reconstructing Religion

Nadia Bolz-Weber

Reclaiming history of women’s work, roles in the religion, especially in its formation

Claiming roles of authority and leadership for women today

Bring women’s religious practice into the public sphere

Breaking down gender segregation in religious ritual, worship

Women and the World’s Major Religions

Islam

Judaism

Hinduism

Buddhism

Christianity

All became more patriarchal over time; How? Why?

Marion Zimmer Bradley

Intersectional Feminist Theologies

Considering multiple oppressions simultaneously

Gender, race, class

Womanism

Mujerista theology

Liberation Theologies

Feminist Spirituality

In every tradition

In woman created, woman centered traditions

Paganism, Wicca, goddess spirituality

Clarissa Pinkola Estes