SOCIOLOGY: BELIEFS IN SOCIETY, FEMINISM & RELIGION

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  • FEMINISM AND RELIGION
    • women's position in religions
      • Even though many denominations and some sects have had female clergy for some time, it's only recently the C of E has allowed female vicars
    • how feminists view religion
      • feminists take a critical view religion believing it is patriarchal in terms of its ideologies and messages, as well as roles and structures
        • ideology example: Anderson & Gordon (1979) witch hunting reflected low status of women as seen as evil/anti-christ and feminine
      • Browne refers to the barriers to women's promotion within religions 'stained-glass ceiling'
      • some religions are more liberal than others in terms of gender, they are collectively seen as helping maintain the patriarchy and women's submission
    • Simone De Beauvoir (1949)
      • particularly that of wives and mothers - imbalance of domestic work, women unfulfilled and trapped in the home (financial dependence) and the of this benefit to men
      • religion is an instrument for male domination women are deceived into thinking they're equal when they're the 2nd sex
    • How they accuse religion of being patriarchal
      • they provide divine justification for women's oppression e.g. it is God's verdict
      • religion undermining women is seen by attitudes to menstruation and child-birth
        • Holm argues both are regarded across a wide range of religions as 'polluting'
          • in scientific, modern, rational times this is seen as a form of control
          • Holm (1994) in the public sphere of religion, men almost always dominate.
            • in the private sphere, socialisation of children into religion is done by women and a lot of religious work in the household
              • Islam: prophet Muhammed is male, men make legal judgements
                • Hindiusm: preg/menstruating women can't approach shrines
    • CRITICAL VIEW
      • Viewed as encouraging women to be passive and tolerant of an inferior position in return for afterlife reward
    • Nawal El Saadawi (radical)
      • - Veiling of women enforced by men is a means of control
        • Similarly, Aldridge argues the burka is a powerful symbol of patriarchy > denies women individualism
      • she also highlighted oppression in non-islamic religions
        • C14th Catholicism: women treating people for illness, without training were witches
    • Liberal feminists
      • optimistic, see education and legislation as moving society forward, changes in CofE and denominations that have a female clergy
        • not much gender progress in Catholicism
    • Radical feminists
      • All religions are patriarchal; serving to oppress women and benefit men
        • Walby noted how womens body's are  'polluting' as they promote promiscuity and menstruate
    • Marxist feminists
      • Religion = significant force in promoting false class consc. and compensator for women's oppression

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