Assess the view that women are no longer oppressed by religion (18 marks)

Feminism is a conflict theory similar to Marxism, except instead of the working class being oppressed by the bourgeoisie, feminists (such as Simone De Beauvoir) believe that society is patriarchal and that women are oppressed by men. Religion is often viewed as something which preserves this and ensures that women remain subordinate to men by believing that their suffering is meaningful and they’ll be rewarded in heaven after death. There are many examples of patriarchy in religion, both historic and current. However, there is also sociological evidence that challenges the idea that women are subordinate to men.

As Item A states, the feminist view that religion is a force for ‘patriarchal oppression’ is ‘supported by evidence such as the differential treatment of women in religious congregations.’ Evidence of patriarchy in places of worship is apparent in the way that men and women are required to worship separately in many faiths, such as orthodox synagogues where the men and women cannot sit together, and in the Islam faith women must pray behind the men, implying that the men are more important. However, this is not consistent in every religion, as in Reform Judaism and Christianity both men and women may worship together.
Similarly, women can be oppressed through patriarchy in religious organisations. Karen Armstrong (1993) said that women being excluded from religious leadership in many faiths are evidence of the marginalisation of women. For example, in September 2015 this was still apparent in the Catholic Church when Pope Francis outlawed the possibility of female priests, on the basis that Pope John Paul II had made the position clear and he would follow it through himself. Armstrong argues that early religions placed women in very high regard, and female priests were found