Two Religion and gender equality in Catholic Philippines: discourses and practices in the 21st century
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Glenda Tibe Bonifacio
Abstract
This chapter focuses on Catholic religious discourses and practices of gender equality in the contemporary Philippines. It looks at particular practices among Filipino Catholic women and examines the role of religion in the movement towards gender equality. Through ethnographic data in small communities in Eastern Visayas, participant observation, and a case study of two women from Leyte, the chapter provides insight into how religiosity is enmeshed with the aims of local women to improve their status in society. It also shows that even if the Catholic Church retains its prominent presence in the social fabric, and is very much a part of the rituals of life, the symbolism of its moral power, particularly in the lives of women, has been contested by lived experiences quite different from what is prescribed.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on Catholic religious discourses and practices of gender equality in the contemporary Philippines. It looks at particular practices among Filipino Catholic women and examines the role of religion in the movement towards gender equality. Through ethnographic data in small communities in Eastern Visayas, participant observation, and a case study of two women from Leyte, the chapter provides insight into how religiosity is enmeshed with the aims of local women to improve their status in society. It also shows that even if the Catholic Church retains its prominent presence in the social fabric, and is very much a part of the rituals of life, the symbolism of its moral power, particularly in the lives of women, has been contested by lived experiences quite different from what is prescribed.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures, tables and appendices v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Women and religion: contemporary and future challenges: editors’ introduction 1
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Women, gender equality and religion between past and present
- Gender equality in different readings of Islam in post-revolutionary Iran 21
- Religion and gender equality in Catholic Philippines: discourses and practices in the 21st century 41
- A slow march forward: the impact of religious change on gender ideology in the contemporary United States 59
- Divine shadows: Indian Devadasis between religious beliefs and sexual exploitation 79
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Identities, women’s movements and religion
- Formation of ‘religious’ identity among British Muslim women 95
- Christian women’s movements in secularizing and diversifying contexts: a case study from Belgium 117
- Muslim women in contemporary Argentina 135
- The impact of religious unorthodoxy on family choices and women’s well-being in Turkey 157
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Contemporary women’s religious experiences
- ‘Between me and my God’: a life story narrative of conciliating cultural discourses and personalization of Islam 175
- ‘We are all Goddesses’: female sacred paths in Italy 191
- Explorations of spiritual embodiment in belly dance 207
- From exclusion to inclusion: women and interfaith dialogue in the Mediterranean area 221
- Index 237
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures, tables and appendices v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Women and religion: contemporary and future challenges: editors’ introduction 1
-
Women, gender equality and religion between past and present
- Gender equality in different readings of Islam in post-revolutionary Iran 21
- Religion and gender equality in Catholic Philippines: discourses and practices in the 21st century 41
- A slow march forward: the impact of religious change on gender ideology in the contemporary United States 59
- Divine shadows: Indian Devadasis between religious beliefs and sexual exploitation 79
-
Identities, women’s movements and religion
- Formation of ‘religious’ identity among British Muslim women 95
- Christian women’s movements in secularizing and diversifying contexts: a case study from Belgium 117
- Muslim women in contemporary Argentina 135
- The impact of religious unorthodoxy on family choices and women’s well-being in Turkey 157
-
Contemporary women’s religious experiences
- ‘Between me and my God’: a life story narrative of conciliating cultural discourses and personalization of Islam 175
- ‘We are all Goddesses’: female sacred paths in Italy 191
- Explorations of spiritual embodiment in belly dance 207
- From exclusion to inclusion: women and interfaith dialogue in the Mediterranean area 221
- Index 237
