Beliefs In Society - Feminist Perspective On Religion Flashcards
What is the main focus for feminists around religion?
How religion is patriarchal
Who says that religious ideology maintains male domination?
De Beauvoir & El Saadawi
What are liberal feminists’ general beliefs about religion?
Aim for equality -> seek to remove obstacles that prevent women taking positions of power e.g. priests
What are radical feminists’ general beliefs about religion?
See most contemporary religions as existing for men’s benefit
Want to challenge religion/reshape it (recapturing centrality of women in religion)
What are marxist feminists’ general beliefs about religion?
Emphasise Marxist view that religion is ‘opium of the people’ -> focuses on the way religion compensates particularly w class women for double exploitation (as women and w class)
How are religious scriptures seen as patriarchal?
Women either invisible/occupy subordinate positions to men
AO2: How can the bible be seen as patriarchal?
Eve formed from Adam’s rib -> portrayed as evil temptress to led Adam astray & laid basis for original sin
How is women being barred from priesthood seen as patriarchal?
Roman Catholic/orthodox Christianity -> women excluded from being priests
Sikhism -> only small minority of women take on important positions (women theoretically equal)
How do women face the (stained) glass ceiling in religions?
Often at bottom of career ladder & face same glass ceiling as they do in most organisations
Church marred by institutional sexism (until 2015 there were no female bishops)
SOCIOLOGISTS: Who speaks about patriarchal religious doctrines and what do they say?
Walby & de Beauvoir -> doctrines contain ideology emphasising women’s trad roles e.g. Christianity & respect for Virgin Mary
SOCIOLOGISTS: What do Holm & Bowker say about patriarchal religious doctrines?
Many fundamentalists movements e.g. born again (new right) Christians reinforce patriarchy & seek to reverse women growing independence by returning women to trad roles
E.g in some Islamic countries give severe punishments to women to violate trad roles
SOCIOLOGIST: How is the veiling of women seen as patriarchal, according to Aldridge?
In some Islamic cultures veiling e.g. head coverings have been interpreted as powerful symbol of patriarchy by keeping women invisible & anon
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Aldridge say about the portrayal of women as morally polluting, corrupting & as sexual predators as patriarchal?
Sexual pleasure for women is condemned/disapproved & sexuality is often linked to reproduction (non-sexual reproductive acts strongly discouraged in roman Catholicism -> explains opposition to contraception
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Holm say about the portrayal of women as sexual predators, as patriarchal?
Women’s menstruation always regarded as polluting -> in Hinduism/islam women forbidden for entering sacred places/touching sacred objects during periods
How do women have less rights than men in many religions & how is it patriarchal?
Women have less access to divorce & many marriage partners they have e.g polygamy permitted for men in islam but is forbidden for women
Woodhead -> Catholic Church banned contraception, abortion and women being priests + stress of trad roles
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Aldridge say about former religions and women?
Ancient religions had many female goddesses e.g. Egyptian goddess Isis, however gender equality can be found in contemporary groups e.g. quakers & spiritualist movements
SOCIOLOGISTS: What do Ahmed, Watson & Woodhead say about the veiling of women and how it can be interpreted as not patriarchal?
Can be interpreted as providing independent female identity & freeing women from male gaze and sexual harassment
Can be seen as symbol of female and ethnic identity & sign of Muslim pride in resistance to patriarchal western culture which treats women like objects
Compared to men women are more likely to?
Express greater interest in religion
Voas-> have firmer belief in god
Have stronger personal faith & religious commitment
Involve themselves in religious rituals & worship
See private prayer as important & practise it
SOCIOLOGISTS: How gender socialisation make women appeal more to religion, according to Miller & Hoffman?`
Guardians of family life
Visions of God
Nurturing
Life, death and changes in life
SOCIOLOGIST: Who spoke about how women are often guardians of family life and therefore feel necessary to take charge on a child’s moral development and introduce them to religious beliefs?
Halman & Draulans
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Davie say about women & visions of God?
Women associate god with love, comfort & forgiveness (linked to trad femininity), men associate god with power & control
Women lean to people (can explain greater involvement)
SOCIOLOGIST: Who spoke about women’s nurturing nature makes them less confrontational & aggressive & instead more caring and compassionate and that can explain their involvement in comptemporary religion and sects but also practices e.g. horoscopes, astrology and tarot?
Bruce
SOCIOLOGISTS: How are women more aware of the vulnerability of human life due to a closer association with birth and death, according to Walter & Davie?
Their biological involvement through childbirth & greater participation in caring jobs e.g. teacher, nurse, social worker and informal carer of sick, elderly & dying in family -> closer association with birth & death than men (central issues for religion)
How can a greater life expectancy explain how women are involved more in religion?
More likley to be widowed & living on their own -> turn to religion as form of support & comfort and as means of building community
How can being more likely for women to face social deprivation increase women’s involvement in religion?
Can experience more alienation as:
- more likely to experience poverty
- often less self-confident & more marginalised
- more likely to be less confident in patriarchal society
Make it so women more likely to seek solace in religious groups (provide theodicies explaining feelings + provide support)
How can status frustration explain women being more involved in religion than men?
Can be experienced by women who lack status as a result of being confined to the home by constraints of housework & childcare/ in unsatisfying jobs so religious participation can overcome/compensate this
SOCIOLOGIST: What are the 3 factors that can explain women’s declining participation in religion, according to Aune et al?
Women’s movement & feminism
Changing roles of women
Changes in families & relationships
How can the women’s movement and feminism explain women’s declining participation in religion?
Led women to question trad roles of women which trad Christian churches & others have been associated with
Accompanied by changing sexual attitudes (much more sexually permissive society -> including LGBT (churches attitude is old-fashioned driving younger women away)
How can the changing roles of women explain women’s declining participation in religion?
Most women in paid employment & some in succeeding & demanding jobs -> displaced religion as focus of activity, reduces time available & gives alternate source of identity beyond family & religion
How does changing families and relationships explain women’s declining participation in religion?
Contemporary societies have growing diversity of family types & living arrangements (high levels of divorce, lone parent & cohabition) -> met with disapproval from churches (further alienates women)
