GENDER, FEMINISM & RELIGION

Question 1

Women have not always played the subordinate role in society and therefore religion

Answer 1

women were seen as more closely related to nature than men. and were even worshipped as goddess

Question 2

Image of God

how males and females perceive what God is like)

Answer 2

Males: see God as powerful
Females: see God as passive

Why is this?
socialisation

Question 3

IS RELIGION PATRIARCHAL

Answer 3

there is evidence for both arguments:

Yes and No

Question 4

Examples of religion being patriarchal

Answer 4

Jewish: ‘blessed art thou oh Lord that I was not born a woman’

The bride’s traditional wedding vow (in the non-Jewish world) is “to love, cherish, and to obey” her husband. The husband’s vow is only “to love and to cherish” his wife.

Buddhism- associates women as being fallen

Women have been bared from serving as priests in many of the world’s religions and until recently

Question 5

NO IT IS NOT PATRIARCHAL

Answer 5

COE in 192 voted to make priesthood at last open to women. and in 201 women can now come Bishops

Jewish men can only claim to be Jewish if the mother is Jewish (matriarchal)

Gender neutral language has bee added to many hymns and prayers and the option to leave the ‘obey’ in marriage is now available

some religions such as Quakerism have never oppressed women

Leila Badawi 1994 that Islam has very positive aspectsfo women:
e.g. the wearing of the Hijab - women are not judged by how they look but who hey are. CRITICS argue that women are often coerced into wearing the Hijab so therefore they are oppressed

Question 6

WHY THEN ARE WOMEN MRE RELIGIOUS THAN MEN?

Answer 6

?

Question 7

Miller & Hoffman (1995)

Answer 7

report that women are more likely to be religious

Practice religion more than men (e.g. go to Church)

Question 8

GREELY (1992)

childbirth

Answer 8

women see childbirth as miraculous and distinctively want to protect their children

Question 9

GLOCK & STARK
compensation for deprivation:
organismic 
ethical
social

Answer 9

organismic - women are more likely to have mental problems are likely to require more healing

ethical - women are more morally conservative

social - women are more likely to be poor and dependent on men for finance

Question 10

HOWEVER - evaluation

Answer 10

Brierley - women’s attendance is declining

because of the dual burden/ triple shift

Brown 2001 - claims that it is due to women rejecting their subordinate gender role