Religion, Gender Roles in

Religion, gender, and the spaces where the two meet are undergoing transformation. Religion in this context refers to systems and institutions that provide for the development of individual and collective spiritualities. This entry focuses on major organized religions broadly writ. These world religions, the largest today being Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, have long-established traditions but are also changing as new generations of adherents work out how to practice their faith in different locations. Although inhabitants of Western countries often see religions as privatized arenas, religions are also intertwined with social life, especially in non-Western contexts in which religious concepts of gender are central to society. Migration and travel, especially more recently, have brought religious diversity to countries with singularly focused religious histories. In Western countries, the emergence of new forms of Buddhism and the growth of Islam through migration, conversion, and higher birthrates are two significant phenomena.

The activities and identities of men and women that constitute gender roles show continuity and change and vary in different cultures. Generally, religions advocate and are the source for traditional teachings about gender roles that assert differences between men and women. Religions tend to adopt traditional gender roles, asserting that it is the place of men to be leaders in the family and religion and identifying women with the body and sexuality. But this is not always so. For one thing, religions tend to comprise a core of spiritual equality and liberation from social roles. Also, religions have been challenged by calls for gender equality and are experiencing movement in this direction. Furthermore, newer groups within the major religions, new religious movements, the New Age, and neopaganism are making gender equality integral to their spirituality. Nevertheless, gender roles in religion are in flux, and new developments are as likely to move in restrictive as in liberating directions. This essay traces some of this history and contemporary patterns with regard to male dominance, religious authority, home and family, and the body and sexuality and also discusses recent feminist responses and levels of religious participation.