feminist view of religion

Question 1

religion maintains patriarchy: outline and examples

Answer 1

Mary Daly: religions portray male domination over women. it was men who determined what was included in the bible so they control the narrative. there cannot be equality in religion until there is acceptance the God could be a woman.

• porting God as a man
• restricting access for women to top levels of the church
• depicting women in religious texts as impure or bad influences - e.g. Eve causing the fall from grace

Question 2

religion maintains patriarchy: patriarchy

Answer 2

Woodhead: women use religion as a way to gain grater freedom and respect. she explains how the Hijab which is seen in the West as a form of oppression can also be a form of liberation as it allows them to enter the public sphere without fear of being considered immodest

Question 3

second class believers: outline and examples

Answer 3

Simone De Beauvoir: religion tricks women into believing they are equal to men in the eyes of god and will be rewarded for their suffering in the afterlife. believes that girls are socialised into worshipping a male god and therefore are encouraged to unconsciously see men as superior

• Jean Holm: segregated places of worship - men usually hold the central, more sacred places in places of worship
• women are not allowed to read from sacred texts or touch them if they are menstruating in islam

Question 4

second class believers: evaluation

Answer 4

in liberal protestant movements, such as the Quakers and Unitarians, there is a commitment to gender equality. 1/3 of Unitarian ministers are female, in the Church of England over 1/5 of the priests are female

Question 5

stained glass ceiling: outline and examples

Answer 5

Karen Armstrong: women are often blocked from the top positions in mainstream churches. she studied the Church of England and found the “stained glass ceiling”, meaning women are blocked from progressing to the top of the hierarchy

• the vote to allow female bishops into the CofE was strongly opposed by traditionalists who were very vocal in their opposition

Question 6

stained glass ceiling: evaluation

Answer 6

El Saadawi suggests that it is not the religions that are patriarchal, but the cultures that they appear in. she uses the Islamic religion and Arab culture to show this. In Arab culture, men hold all the powerful positions which mean that they are able to interpret the Qur’an to support their views

Question 7

Stark and Bainbridge: women are more likely to join sects and cults because…

Answer 7

• organismic deprivation: women are more likely to suffer ill health so will look to sects and cults for healing
• ethical deprivation: women tend to be more morally conservative and thus more likely to see the world in mortal decline and share the views held by sects and cults
• social deprivation: sects and cults tend to attract the poorer groups in society and women are more likely to be in poverty than men