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Women in Religions Series
Theory of Women in Religions
An introduction to the study of women in diverse religious cultures
While women have made gains in equality over the past two centuries, equality for women in many religious traditions remains contested throughout the world. In the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints women are not ordained as priests. In areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan under Taliban occupation girls and women students and their teachers risk their lives to go to school. And in Sri Lanka, fully ordained Buddhist nuns are denied the government identity cards that recognize them as citizens. Is it possible to create families, societies, and religions in which women and men are equal? And if so, what are the factors that promote equality?
Theory of Women in Religions offers an economic model to shed light on the forces that have impacted the respective statuses of women and men from the earliest developmental stages of society through the present day. Catherine Wessinger integrates data and theories from anthropology, archaeology, sociology, history, gender studies, and psychology into a concise history of religions introduction to the complex relationships between gender and religion. She argues that socio-economic factors that support specific gender roles, in conjunction with religious norms and ideals, have created a gendered division of labor that both directly and indirectly reinforces gender inequality. Yet she also highlights how as the socio-economic situation is changing religion is being utilized to support the transition toward women's equality, noting the ways in which many religious representations of gender change over time.
While women have made gains in equality over the past two centuries, equality for women in many religious traditions remains contested throughout the world. In the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints women are not ordained as priests. In areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan under Taliban occupation girls and women students and their teachers risk their lives to go to school. And in Sri Lanka, fully ordained Buddhist nuns are denied the government identity cards that recognize them as citizens. Is it possible to create families, societies, and religions in which women and men are equal? And if so, what are the factors that promote equality?
Theory of Women in Religions offers an economic model to shed light on the forces that have impacted the respective statuses of women and men from the earliest developmental stages of society through the present day. Catherine Wessinger integrates data and theories from anthropology, archaeology, sociology, history, gender studies, and psychology into a concise history of religions introduction to the complex relationships between gender and religion. She argues that socio-economic factors that support specific gender roles, in conjunction with religious norms and ideals, have created a gendered division of labor that both directly and indirectly reinforces gender inequality. Yet she also highlights how as the socio-economic situation is changing religion is being utilized to support the transition toward women's equality, noting the ways in which many religious representations of gender change over time.
228 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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January 9, 2026Got into a debate about feminism and they essentially said "Do you even read???" and told me to read this book so 💀 Guess this will be the book I read for one of my non-fiction books this year
December 14, 2023
Based on questionable historical scholarship. Takes the idea of the "Burning Times" a little too seriously, despite the lack of any significant evidence or scholarly consensus; Gerald Gardner is not a credible source. Yes, the West is incredibly misogynistic, but we can analyze, evaluate, and criticize society's failings without appealing to pseudo-history. I wanted to love this book, *should have* loved this book, but didn't.
May 19, 2022
Catherine Wessinger provides a concise and systematic explanation of the complex relationship between gender (women) and religion. The book can be a good textbook for anthropology, sociology, and religious study upper-level college students. A well-structured and easy-to-read book with compelling arguments from a multidisciplinary perspective. Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews