feminism

women are invisible or in subordinate positions in scriptures, for example in the bible Eve is known as the evil tempress who led Adam astray

God = male and powerful figure in bible

jesus and his disciples = male and also a powerful, significant figure in the bible

Aldridge (2017) women in the Qur'an are inferior to men

not all religions are patriarchal though as Hinduism has Godesses

Roman catholic, Orthodox, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism exclude women from the priesthood

Buddhism: Nuns less status than Monks

Orthodox Judaism: males only allowed to take part in ceremonies

Sikhism: only small minority of women take part in significant decisions

Church of England: women allowed to be priests but accomponied by bitter controversy and took long, difficult campagins to achieve this

women in religious organisations faced being bottom of the career ladder, facing a glass ceiling.

glass ceiling = invisible barrier of prejudice and discrimmination stops them from rising higher up the hierarchy

e.g. church of england allowed their first women bishop in 2015

church was regarded as married to institutional sexism with women facing a 'stained' glass ceiling - was proved by the rejection of women bishops in 2012

barrett(1977) and pryce (1979): Rastafarianism (mainly african caribbean men) assumes women will become a housewife  and mother as believes it protects them from racial and sexual harrassment from white society. This gives power to men

Aldridge: head coverings like the niqab and hijab or full body coverings such as chadors or Burqas, in some Islamic cultures, has been interpreted as a powerful symbol of patriarchy keeping women invisible and anonymous

However, some would argue that 'the veiling of women' is to prevent the male gaze as women are objectified - prevents being wanted for their looks etc.

Aldridge: sexual pleasure is disapproved by Roman Catholics, Muslims, and Jews as they believe sexual acts should only be linked to reproduction. for example Roman Catholic oppose contraception to reinforce traditional gender roles

Holm (1994): womens menstruation polluting in Hinduism and Islam. It is forbidden that during periods women enter or touch sacred places or things

religious laws and customs give women fewer rights for example, in divorce and how many partners women are allowed in marriage - polygyny is allowed in Islam but polyandry isnt allowed

Woodhead (2002): Catholic Church also show opposition to womens equality through its ban on contraception, abortion and womens access to the priesthood as well as belief on traditional roles