I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

except when I am a woman

An investigation and critical analysis into the perpetuation of
hegemonic masculinity facilitated by the Christian faith as explained
through the context article Women of God

Final Contexts Paper

Amy Wu
SOCL1101 Introduction to Sociology
Professor Anna Revette
Summer II 2016
Christianity, along with many other conservative religions, in many ways indoctrinates
patriarchy; the institutionalization of male dominance imposed upon women in society. The

power of religion and culture perpetuates the hegemony of patriarchy and this can be observed
within the Christian faith through the means of social constructs created through religion, the
ways in which Christian doctrines are written, and constructs of power within the church itself;
according to Foucault, power is an intrinsic component of all social institutions rather than
individuals within these institutions creating the power dynamics. This paper analyzes the ways
in which hegemonic masculinity within society is facilitated by the Christian faith in particular,
and critically examines the dogma that is conducive to female oppression.

Categorization based on gender is one of the most basic social divisions. In social
institutions such as politics, the workplace and of course, religion, this divide forms much of the
organizational basis to which it is founded upon. In the article Women of God, Orit Avishai
addresses the common conception of conservative religions and the notion that such social
groups perpetuate the oppression of women and assimilate the patriarchal aspects of society. It
introduces the idea that there is a binary explanation to the cultural effect of religion. On the one
hand, conservative religions have historically been viewed as the breeding grounds for the
institutionalization of gender inequality. From the way women are instructed to behave, to the
ways they are conditioned to define their own self-worthvia their sexual purity and modesty,
religious indoctrinations play a crucial role in constructing peoples beliefs around the womans
position in society. On the contrary, many argue that the reason women choose to partake in
conservative religions is because such oppressive practices create empowerment; as Avishai
states, women used religion to negotiate with patriarchal family structures and to carve out a
space of independence and authority (Avishai, O., 2010).

The role of leadership within social institutions is a key player in the way beliefs and
values are circulated within a community. When looking at the Evangelical Christian church, the
pastor (in which most cases is a male figure) oversees how the church is operated, including
what is being taught and decides upon the sermons that will be disseminated amongst
worshippers. Mens control over the knowledge that other worshippers towards the bottom of the
hierarchy seemingly lack, creates an interesting power dynamic whereby the beliefs that are
preached are often difficult to refute. Over the course of history, the social construct of power
occurs when there is a disparity in the knowledge and information available amongst a group.
The reality of the situation is that male leaders of the church can either interpret holy teachings to
either exalt or oppress women depending on how they communicate such ideas. Or perhaps
rather it is not a conscious decision, per se, but just a continuation of the tradition and
conservative teachings that they were previously taught which has come to define the church.
Within the leadership of this social institution, there tends to be a male monopoly of power
whereby the definition and interpretation of what is the truth enables their stance over women
to be maintained and it is this same paternalistic benevolence that perhaps causes the hegemony
of patriarchy and masculinity to be preserved.

Furthermore, the ways in which religious doctrines of Christianity are interpreted can
perpetuate the gender hierarchy. It can be argued that the way in which the Bible is written
clearly places more value over the man than the women when this is taken too literally at face
value, the facilitation of male dominance can ensue. An example of this is the story of the
making of the covenant between God and Abraham in the book of Genesis in which the
communication between God and man transpires wherein the woman has no place. Abrahams

wife, Sarah, has no involvement between the exchange; it is interesting to note that her relation
to the covenant itself and therefore to God exists solely through her relationship to Abraham and
her role as his child bearer. Herein lies the inherent hierarchy in which man is afforded
opportunities that women are not considered for. It is evident that if such religious doctrine is
taken literally, it can lead to the perpetuation of female subjugation since religion as a social
construct is founded upon spiritual texts such as the Bible which are seen as the Gold Standard in
what constitutes appropriate behaviors. Portraying women in the Bible as being subservient to
the man and mere procreative appliances makes it increasingly difficult to resist the hierarchy,
and furthermore, the notion that such a hierarchy is ordained by God further facilitates hegemony
based upon this foundational justification.
The article Women of God resonated with me because I immediately thought about an
interesting documentary I watched over the summer entitled Gloraivale: A Womans Place
which talks about the womans roles on the grounds of domesticity, sex, marriage and childrearing within the Gloriavale community, albeit from an ethnocentric perspective. Gloriavale
Christian Community is based in Haupiri, a small area on the West Coast of the South Island of
New Zealand. Community members have no contact with the outside world, and everything is
controlled from what they wear to what they are allowed to eat to who they marry (which is all
arranged by the community leaders). Often titled as a cult by the media and the outsiders, it
offers a fascinating look into an incredibly different way of life. The leader of Gloriavale states
in the documentary that, authority in the Church is given to the men, as God established in
the Garden of Eden, and maintained in the New Testament (Evans, 2016). In this community,
children are brought up to play their role girls do not attend high school, but rather begin
working in the kitchen and laundry rooms from the age of as young as ten. Boys are expected to

attend high school where they learn trades to later enable them to work in Gloriavale-owned
businesses. Women are not allowed rights to birth control and sexual abstinence is of utmost
importance. The church leader, Neville Cooper, states that considering that a woman is the only
female of any species to have a hymen, it is evident that God has created her in a special way,
setting a seal upon her virginity to show the importance of marriage in His eyes (Evans, 2016).
This short description shows a snapshot of how the conservative, closed community
indoctrinates the patriarchal hierarchy within the community children who are brought up in
such an environment do not know any other way of living and the church leaders ideologies are
taken as truth, leaving the followers trapped in an ideological paradigm.

The article Woman of God does a fantastic job in portraying the binary nature of the
role of religion as a social institution and the ways in which it affects patriarchal dynamics within
the greater society. The perspectives discussed in the article reflect either an ethnocentric
perspective or one of cultural relativism. For the majority of individuals that are not a part of a
conservative religion, it can be easy to associate such communities and their activities as
oppressive towards women. However, on the other hand, many women, for example those who
elect to join evangelical communities, perhaps find solace in the patriarchal, hierarchical
structure of religion for many it is a fulfilling and rewarding experience having an outwardly
role within a community, even if it is one of domesticity.

Works Cited:

Avishai, O. (2010). Women of God. Contexts, 9(4), 46-51. doi:10.1525/ctx.2010.9.4.46

Evans, A. (Director). (2016, July 27). Gloriavale: A Woman's Place [Video file].
Retrieved July 30, 2016, from https://www.tvnz.co.nz/ondemand/gloriavale-a-worldapart/gloriavale-a-woman-s-place/27-07-2016