Religion and the Changing Role of Women

As the role of women in the society at large has changed, religion in America has responded to the changes in a number of ways. New professional roles in church and synagogue have been opened to women, including, in most mainline denominations, that of ordained clergy. Lay leadership positions as well are increasingly being filled by women. Along with these structural changes, a number of theological issues have been engendered, including the recovery of women's share of religious history, changing images of God and the church, and issues relating to sexual equality and justice. On the other hand, some religious groups have taken the lead in opposing women's assumption of more public roles and also movements to free women from the domestic role through, among other things, abortion, birth control, and divorce. These issues have been joined to larger movements over which religious groups and denominations have become polarized. They have also affected the churches' expectations of a large pool of female volunteer workers. Thus the general pattern of changing roles for women has changed the structure, both social and ideological, of American religion.