Critically examine the relationship between gender, religious participation and religious organisations

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Critically examine the relationship between gender, religious participation and religious organisations. (40)

Many feminist sociologists argue that religious institutions and beliefs help legitimise gender inequality. Like Marxists, feminists argue that religion is a source of domination and oppression. However, unlike Marxism, they see religion as a product of patriarchy, rather than capitalism. They argue that religion is patriarchal in that women are exploited by men and seen as subordinate. Feminist sociologists are interested in how women have become subservient and how religion has promoted patriarchy.

This view is not just shared by female and feminist sociologists. Anthony Giddens argues that; “ The Christian religion is a resolutely male affair in its symbolism as well as its hierarchy. While Mary, the mother of Jesus may sometimes be treated as if she had divine qualities, God is the father, a male figure, and Jesus took the human shape of a man. Woman is portrayed as created from the rib taken from a man.” (Giddens 1997).

Similarly, Karen Armstrong argues that; “None of the major religions have been particularly good to women.” She argues that women continue to be excluded from key roles in religion despite the fact that woman participate more in organised religion. Evidence from the British Social Attitudes Survey suggests that 65% of church attenders living in Britain are women, compared to only 35% of men.

This evidence suggests that women are subservient within religion as a result of patriarchy. Women continue to be excluded from religious roles, despite evidence suggesting that the majority of church attenders are predominantly female.

Likewise, Anderson and Gordon’s study (1979) showed that witch-hunting reflected the low status of women. Witches were seen as being feminine, evil and anti-christ. “The view of women as an instrument of the devil, a thing at once inferior and evil, took shape in the earliest period of church history and was indeed originated by the church.”  Many witches in the 17th Century were tortured and burnt as they were seen as a threat to the newly emerging sciences that were dominated by men.

However, there is evidence to suggest that women have not always been seen as subservient to men. 4000 years ago, large effigies of female “Goddesses” were uncovered, which were seen by members of society as the “Gods of nature”. Female goddesses were relied upon for food to harvest, good weather, and healthy offspring. This was because females were seen as being closer to nature than men.

Armstrong (1993) argued that “ The Earth produced plants and nourished them in rather the same way as a woman gave birth to a child and fed it from her own body. The magical power of the earth seemed vitally interconnected with the mysterious creativity of the female sex.”

Armstrong concluded that there were very few effigies of males and the “mother goddess” always played a crucial role. However, the invasion of these societies by male-dominated cultures created a patriarchal rationale in order to justify their behaviour. Members of society started to believe in monotheism, (a belief in one god) rather than polytheism (the belief in more than god) and this one God was seen as a male figure.

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This evidence suggests that women have not always been subservient to men in religion. However, female “goddesses” were worshipped over 4000 years ago and therefore evidence is outdated. Although women may have made significant advances in many areas of their lives, their role in religion is still limited.

Although in many religions people worship and believe in one God, men and women view him differently. Davie (1994) argued that women saw God as loving, comforting and forgiving, whereas men saw God as powerful and controlling.

The female connection with spirituality is shown in the Jewish religion, ...

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