Women in religion
The role of women in religion has only recently become a topic of research. [1]
Throughout recorded history, nearly every society has been dominated by men, and women have taken (or been assigned) a subordinate position. This subordinate role has long found an echo in religion.
In modern times, various religions have sought to reaffirm or reform this relationship. Currents in the four major religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism) have continued to assert male supremacy in some form. The Roman Catholic Church forbids women to be priests. Yet other currents, both within these faith traditions and outside of them, have sought to elevate women to equal status; notably, the Episcopal Church in the U.S.
See also
- Women as theological figures
- Christian views of women
- Feminist theology
- God and gender
- Islamic feminism
- Women in Muslim societies
- Jewish feminism
- Role of women in Judaism
Notes
- ^ "Women in Religion", Hartford Institute for Religion Research "Leadership of religious organizations has been for hundreds of years dominated by males. However, it has always been known, if not acknowledged, that much religious work as well as support of the institutional church has been done by women. Only within the recent decades have women been admitted into the leadership of many religious groups. In others, their access to clergy and other leadership roles is still being contested."