Religion and Patriarchy

• Religious organisations are male-dominated despite the fact that women often participate more than men. For example, Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism forbid women to become priests. Karen Armstrong (1993) sees exclusion from the priesthood as evidence of women's marginalisation.
• Places of worship often segregate the sexes and marginalise women, for example seating them behind screens while the men occupy the central and more sacred spaces. Women's participation may be restricted, for example not being allowed to preach or to read from sacred texts.
• Taboos that regard menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth as polluting and may prevent participation. Jean Holm (2001) describes this as the devaluation of women in religion.
• Simone DeBeauvoir, inspired by Marxism, argues that religion acts to reproduce the patriarchy, leading to the exploitation and alienation of women by tying them to sisyphean labour.
• What is a social fact about women's participation in religion?

  Women have higher levels of religious and spiritual beliefs, practices and membership than men. (with the exception of Sikhism)
• Why would feminists argue that women participate more in religion?

  Due to a false consciousness.

  Every religious hierarchy is male-dominated, except the Anglican church which allowed female priests in 1992 and female bishops in 2015.
• Sacred texts largely feature the doings of male gods, prophets etc, and are usually written and interpreted by men. Stories often reflect anti-female stereotypes, such as Eve who, caused humanity's fall from grace and expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
• Religious laws and customs may give women fewer rights than men, for example in access to divorce, how many spouses they may marry, decision making dress codes etc.
• Religious influences on cultural norms may lead to unequal treatment.