Gender roles - institutional

Question 1

Roman Catholic view?

why does the Roman Catholic Church believe that women should not be Church leaders?

Answer 1

do not allow female Bishops
only 208 female priests
Association of Roman Catholic Woman Priests - minister and ordain women and men

All Jesus’ disciples = men
Paul - ‘women should remain silent in Church’
May distract male clergy from their jobs
women = more suited to other roles e.g. bringing up and education children
Adam made first and Eve told to obey him - ‘I will make a suitable helper for him’
God referred to in Bible as having male characteristics e.g. King and Father
Jesus = a man - God chose to send son to earth

Question 2

Church of England?

Answer 2

allowed female priests 1994

allowed female Bishops in 2014

Question 3

Quakers?

Answer 3

allow women priests - all equal in the eyes of God

‘Testimony of Equality’

Question 4

Baptist Church?

Answer 4

women can be priests

Question 5

Evangelical Christians?

Answer 5

purity balls - encourage girls to remain Virgins until marriage - girls seen as possession of father - women had to remain virgins until marriage, whereas men did not necessarily have to remain sexually abstinent until marriage
no purity balls for men

Question 6

Methodist Church?

Answer 6

allow women priests

Question 7

Why do the Church of England, Baptists, Methodists and Quakers allow women priests?

Answer 7

Genesis - all created ‘in the image of God’
Jesus’ disciples = men only because of society at the time
Jesus did have female followers e.g. Mary and Martha
Women = just as suited to lead as men
When Paul spoke out against women, this was because of their behaviour and because they were not educated and so could not teach, women now educated like men – no longer and issue
Some of Paul’s teachings = in favour of equality