Discuss the Contribution Feminism Has Made to Our Understanding of the Sociology of Religion. Illustrate Your Arguments with Sociological Examples.
Paula Gourley
Discuss the contribution feminism has made to our understanding of the sociology of religion. Illustrate your arguments with sociological examples.
The sociology of religion examines the significance of the role of religion within society. It is not concerned with philosophical or theological issues such as the existence of God. Rather the sociology of religion examines how beliefs and practices affect behaviour, how religion is understood and how it influences social life. It also looks at the characteristics common to all religions and the factors which influence the way it is organised. Feminism is one area within sociology which takes a critical view of religion. Feminists regard religion as a source of social opium to sedate and control women. They believe patriarchy rather than capitalism is the source of women's oppression and religion is a means of patriarchal control. 'Feminist theory has been concerned with enabling women and men to understand the subordination and exploitation of women' (Selfe and Starbuck, 1998:52). As de Beauvoir (1953) argued men have gained control over religious scripts and ideologies and this ideology permeates all of the social institutions. By the same token religion legitimates women's social roles as wives and mothers and god will reward women for their suffering in this life in the next one.(de Beauvoir, 1953: cited by Kirby et al 2000:444).
One social purpose of religion is to reinforce the socialisation process. At birth we are born into a religious community and religion becomes part of our identity. According to Tischler et al, 'religion performs a number of important social functions' (Tischler,1986: cited by Selfe & Starbuck, 1998:26). The Functionalist view of religion is that it brings people together and promotes social cohesion. It reaffirms the groups values, beliefs and norms. It helps transmit cultural heritage and offers emotional support in times of need.
Functionalists like Durkheim take a
Discuss the contribution feminism has made to our understanding of the sociology of religion. Illustrate your arguments with sociological examples.
The sociology of religion examines the significance of the role of religion within society. It is not concerned with philosophical or theological issues such as the existence of God. Rather the sociology of religion examines how beliefs and practices affect behaviour, how religion is understood and how it influences social life. It also looks at the characteristics common to all religions and the factors which influence the way it is organised. Feminism is one area within sociology which takes a critical view of religion. Feminists regard religion as a source of social opium to sedate and control women. They believe patriarchy rather than capitalism is the source of women's oppression and religion is a means of patriarchal control. 'Feminist theory has been concerned with enabling women and men to understand the subordination and exploitation of women' (Selfe and Starbuck, 1998:52). As de Beauvoir (1953) argued men have gained control over religious scripts and ideologies and this ideology permeates all of the social institutions. By the same token religion legitimates women's social roles as wives and mothers and god will reward women for their suffering in this life in the next one.(de Beauvoir, 1953: cited by Kirby et al 2000:444).
One social purpose of religion is to reinforce the socialisation process. At birth we are born into a religious community and religion becomes part of our identity. According to Tischler et al, 'religion performs a number of important social functions' (Tischler,1986: cited by Selfe & Starbuck, 1998:26). The Functionalist view of religion is that it brings people together and promotes social cohesion. It reaffirms the groups values, beliefs and norms. It helps transmit cultural heritage and offers emotional support in times of need.
Functionalists like Durkheim take a