Most feminists argue along similar lines to functionalists and Marxists that religion acts as

a conservative force, maintaining the status quo. For feminists, that status quo is a
patriarchal society.
Simone De Beauvoir (1953) took a very similar view to traditional Marxists, only instead
of seeing religion as assisting in the subjugation of the workers, she saw it as exploiting
and oppressing women. She argued that religious faiths encouraged women to be meek,
to put up with inequality, exploitation and suffering and doing so will bring rewards in the
afterlife.
There are several ways in which religion can promote patriarchy:
Through religious scripture / teachings
Through religious ceremonies and practices
Through the structure and power-relations of religious organisations
Examples of patriarchy in scripture and teachings:
In several religions, women are presented as temptresses who distract men from the
serious business of worship. In the bible, it is the first woman, Eve, who disobeys God and
then goes on to tempt Adam and bring about his downfall too.
In many religious teachings across a wide range of religions, women are given the role of
nurturing, caring and giving birth. While these roles are presented positively and as
essential, they reinforce the gender norms in society and the patriarchal power
structures. If women choose not to conform to gender stereotypes, they are not only
deviating from gender norms and family expectations, but deviating from God’s will too.
Religious texts are full of male Gods, male prophets, male saints and male heroes. The
books are written by men and interpreted by men.
The rules of religious organisations – which are often more about culture and custom
than scriptures – include a lot of rules that restrict the freedom of women. Rules on
abortion, contraception, etc. alongside unequal rules relating to marriage and divorce, all
put significant restrictions on fundamental life choices for women that are not placed on
men.
The purdah in Islam, where religious women are secluded from society, including the
wearing of veils, etc. is seen by some feminists as exemplifying and entrenching
patriarchy. Examples of patriarchy in ceremonies and practices:
In several religious organisations men and women worship separately.
In many religions both menstruation and pregnancy are treated as impure or ungodly.
For example, in Islam women who are menstruating are not allowed to touch the Koran.
Jean Holm (1994) suggests that these various restrictions on the participation of women
contribute to the devaluation of women in many contemporary religions.
Examples of patriarchy in religious organisations:
Although some religious organisations do have women in senior positions, they are
certainly the exception rather than the rule, and in most cases this is the result of
relatively recent reforms. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, all the cardinals,
archbishops, bishops and priests are men. Most branches of Islam do not recognise
female Imams, although there is some debate among Islamic scholars about whether
women can ever lead prayers and whether for female-only or mixed congregations.
There have been female Rabbis since the 1970s but it is still condemned by orthodox
Jews. Although there have been women priests in the Church of England since 1994, it
took a further 20 years before there was a female bishop. Karen Armstrong (1993)
argued that the exclusion of women from the priesthood exemplified women’s
marginalisation in religious and social life. Linda Woodhead has suggested that the
exclusion of women both from positions of authority and from some religious practices
comes from a deep-seated resistance to women’s freedom and choice altogether.
There is a traditional gender division of labour in many religious organisations with an
expectation that women will serve tea and cakes after the service, for instance.
Evaluating feminist views on the role of religion
Not all feminists agree that religion is essentially patriarchal, arguing that many early
religions featured prominent goddesses and other female figures. Instead they argue that
patriarchal societies have changed religions in order to ensure they reflected and
reinforced patriarchal values.
Karen Armstrong (1993) argues that it was the development of monotheistic religions,
with their all-powerful male Gods (such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam) which imbued
religion with a patriarchal and sexist core. She points out that various goddesses and
priestesses were replaced with male prophets.
Nawal El Sadaawi argues that religions are not the direct cause of women’s exploitation
and oppression (though they are often the tool employed to this end) the cause is a
patriarchal society. She argues that powerful men reinterpreted religious beliefs and
ideas in order to benefit themselves.
Linda Woodhead argues that religion is not necessarily sexist or patriarchal and writes of
a “religious feminism.” For example, she argues that the veil, in Islamic societies, has
been misinterpreted by some western feminists. She argues that many Muslim women
choose to wear a veil and see it is a positive and liberating choice. In very restrictive
patriarchal Middle-Eastern societies, women have used face veils to allow them to enter
society, obtain employment and in other ways empower themselves. In western
countries, some women have chosen to wear veils in order to escape the male gaze.
However, Nawal El Sadaawi has described the veil as “a tool to oppress women.”
Others have suggested that religion is becoming increasingly female-dominated,
particularly in western democracies. Attendance at religious services is much more
common among women, for instance. However, feminists like De Beauvoir would argue
that that is because women are the intended audience of the ideological messages being
promoted: that women should cook, clean, have babies and tolerate inequality and
oppression in exchange for rewards in the afterlife.