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Between Faith and Freedom: Women’s Struggles in Religious Traditions
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Gender and Religion Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I8-1714594
Abstract
This paper examines how major world religions have contributed to the oppression of women through doctrines, laws and social practices. Focusing on Abrahamic traditions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and Indian-origin religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism), it explores how religious norms have legitimized women’s subordination in family life, religious leadership, education and public roles. At the same time, the paper notes that each tradition contains elements that affirm women’s spiritual equality and has generated movements for change. The analysis shows that while legal and social reforms have improved women’s status, religiously grounded gender hierarchies continue to shape many women’s lives, especially in patriarchal and rural contexts.
Keywords
Religion; Women; Patriarchy; Oppression; Gender roles; Abrahamic Religions; Indian Religions
References
[1] Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2018-04-13
[2] Kaka,M.N. (n.d). The Status of Women in Islam.
[3] Zucker, David J. ( Summer 2006). “Women rabbis: A novel idea”. Judaism.
[4] What does Bible say about a Virtous Women? https://www.openbible.info Retrieved 2016-10-20
[5] https://www.sikhnet.com/pages/who-are-sikhs-what-is-sikhism Retrieved 2020-12-09
[6] Smith, J. I. (1979). Women in Islam: Equity, equality, and the search for the natural order. Journal of the American Academy of Religion
[7] Rita, G. (1993). Buddhism after patriarchy: A feminist history, analysis, and reconstruction of Buddhism.
How to cite this paper
@article{1714594,
author = {Sharon Rose Samuel, Mrinalini Jha},
title = {Between Faith and Freedom: Women’s Struggles in Religious Traditions},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {8},
pages = {1714-1719},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1714594.pdf},
abstract = {This paper examines how major world religions have contributed to the oppression of women through doctrines, laws and social practices. Focusing on Abrahamic traditions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and Indian-origin religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism), it explores how religious norms have legitimized women’s subordination in family life, religious leadership, education and public roles. At the same time, the paper notes that each tradition contains elements that affirm women’s spiritual equality and has generated movements for change. The analysis shows that while legal and social reforms have improved women’s status, religiously grounded gender hierarchies continue to shape many women’s lives, especially in patriarchal and rural contexts.},
keywords = {Religion; Women; Patriarchy; Oppression; Gender roles; Abrahamic Religions; Indian Religions},
month = {February},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I8-1714594}
}