The Status of Women in Religion (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Christian views on the roles of women in religion

• Christians believe that men and women are equal

  • Both were created by God and in God’s image

• Traditionally the roles of men and women were that women were mothers and housekeepers

• They played a different role within the family than men, who were responsible for earning money for the family

• Today these views are regarded as outdated by many people

  • People mostly believe that all roles should be shared between men and women

• The role of women in religion has followed a similar path

  • For most of Christian history, women were not allowed to be priests

  • In the early days of Christianity Paul said 'just as Christ is the head of man, so man is the head of women', and that ‘women should remain silent in the churches’ (1 Corinthians 14:34) 

  • These attitudes reflect the social norms of the time, but times have moved on and what was considered acceptable at the time of Paul is not so now

• Most Christian denominations now accept women as leaders

  • In 1993 women were allowed to become priests in the Church of England, and 2014 saw the first female bishop in the Church

  • Some non-conformist Christian Churches have appointed women ministers for around one hundred years, with the first Congregationalist woman minister appointed in 1917

  • This is supported by Bible teachings about the equality of every person in the eyes of God

• Women are still not permitted to be priests in the Catholic or Orthodox Churches

  • The Churches state that this is because:

    • all of the apostles of Jesus were men

    • the priest at Mass takes on the role of Jesus blessing the bread and wine and because Jesus was a man, a woman cannot take on this role

Muslim views on the roles of women in religion

• The roles of men and women within the family in Islam tend to be traditional

• Several teachings of Islam encourage women to take on traditional roles within the family

  • Mothers have a valuable role in bringing up children and teaching them about the faith

  • Men are called the ‘caretakers of women’ (Qur’an 4:34) and are expected to provide financially

• Today times are changing, and many Muslim women work in professional roles and earn money, combining their careers with their family responsibilities.

  • Men are expected to take a greater share of roles within the home

  • The money that women earn from such jobs is regarded as their own since it is still considered the man’s job to provide financially for the family

• Within worship, women have an equal obligation to men to honour Allah through prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage

• However, because of their roles as mothers, women are not expected to attend the mosque five times each day for prayer, nor for the Jummah prayer on Friday 

  • If women do attend the mosque, they pray in a separate area from men, in another hall or at the back of the mosque

• Women take on different roles than men in religious leadership

  • Traditionally, only men could be imams as the Qur’an states that ‘men have a degree over them (women) in responsibility and authority’ (Qur’an 2:228)

  • It is not common for women to be imams today unless they are leading a women-only mosque

  • Women can be scholars, teachers, or preachers in the religion

• In some Islamic societies, there are restrictions on women’s rights

  • For example, in Saudi Arabia, women must be chaperoned if they leave their homes and must be fully covered if they appear in public

• These restrictions seem strict and very different from the norms of Western society

  • Some Muslims argue that they are intended to protect women

  • Others say that the restrictions are more to do with culture than religion and point out that men and women are equal before Allah