# Which religions favor women? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372 "2012-07-06T00:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gallan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ee59a6/32.png) [@gallan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/1 "2012-07-06T00:56:53Z")
Or perhaps more to the point, is there currently, or has there ever been, any major religion that isn’t inherently misogynistic in the way early texts, doctrines, and leaders address women, even if the religion isn’t still widely practiced today? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/2 "2012-07-06T01:39:19Z")
Reform Judaism in practice isn’t misogynistic to my way of thinking. Conservative and Orthodox Judaism are another story… Buddhism? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/3 "2012-07-06T01:47:16Z")
Wicca as practiced where I am vastly favors females and males are basically second class. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/4 "2012-07-06T02:15:31Z")
Maenad-ism. Why Conservative? They don’t do that separate seating thing, do they? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/5 "2012-07-06T02:50:06Z")
Buddhism would not be on the list of religions that favor women. Lots of religions have reform segments that seek to equal things up, however. UU and Reconstructionist Judaism, for two. I’d also say the modern Society of Friends would be an example. Not the early days perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/6 "2012-07-06T03:42:26Z")
The earliest and most authoritative texts of Hinduism - the Vedas, are not at all misogynstic AFAIK, and give equal rights to men and women. Thousands of years later, patriarchal societies were in place in most of India(except a couple of places that were not susceptible to invasion) and mistreatment of women common. Take that as you will. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/7 "2012-07-06T03:51:46Z")
Definitely not Buddhism. Monks rule, and nuns are treated as lower class by the Buddhist authorities. Very lower class. Nuns have been defrocked for daring to act as if they were on the same level as monks. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/8 "2012-07-06T05:02:05Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Definitely not Buddhism. Monks rule, and nuns are treated as lower class by the Buddhist authorities. Very lower class. Nuns have been defrocked for daring to act as if they were on the same level as monks. Not only that, but if I recall correctly there has never been a female Buddha. The closest to a highly revered woman is the mother of Buddha. And from what I remember Buddha was originally reluctant to pass his teachings on to females because if he was to do so the age of enlightenment would be drastically shortened. It happened anyway, and it seems to put the blame on women similar to how Eve got everyone kicked out of the garden of Eden. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/9 "2012-07-06T05:10:52Z")
[Unitarian Universalism.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism) ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/10 "2012-07-06T05:25:09Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Wicca as practiced where I am vastly favors females and males are basically second class. I can’t speak for you, but my experience is that Wicca is usually pretty egalitarian (with some matriarchal tendencies). However, Dianic Wicca absolutely favors women over men. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/11 "2012-07-06T05:37:04Z")
The Baha’i make some claim to promoting [gender equality](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%27%C3%AD_Faith_and_gender_equality). Apparently including the notion that daughters should be preferentially educated before sons if there is a financial limitation. However they are excluded from the [highest echelon of the faith](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_House_of_Justice) for reasons that are utterly vague. Whether that all adds up to favoring women overall I’ll leave to the reader. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/12 "2012-07-06T10:15:40Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Maenad-ism. > > Why Conservative? They don’t do that separate seating thing, do they? Some conservative congragations still won’t let women read Torah or have full egalitarian rights. It’s apparently a big deal at leadership conferences, as they’ll have two sets of services: egalitarian and not. Causes friction between the two groups. Conservative synagogues really run the gamut from ‘conservadox’ to extremely socially progressive. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/13 "2012-07-06T10:20:48Z")
Discordianism ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/14 "2012-07-06T11:37:19Z")
I’ve read somewhere that gender equality is one of the tenets of the Sikh religion. Does anybody here know about that one way or the other? ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/15 "2012-07-06T11:37:42Z")
is there a way to subscribe to a thread without starting it or posting to it? she asked, posting to it…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/16 "2012-07-06T12:09:22Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I’ve read somewhere that gender equality is one of the tenets of the Sikh religion. Does anybody here know about that one way or the other? It’s not true, women aren’t subject to the oppressive requirement to grow a beard. I know, I know, technically only shaving is prohibited ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/17 "2012-07-06T12:23:09Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > is there a way to subscribe to a thread without starting it or posting to it? she asked, posting to it…🙂 Under the “Thread Tools” link (second blue menu bar) is the option to “Subscribe” ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/18 "2012-07-06T12:35:03Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > It’s not true, women aren’t subject to the oppressive requirement to grow a beard. > > I know, I know, technically only shaving is prohibited I could well be wrong, but I think _cutting_ any hair on your body is prohibited, and facial hair is only one subset. So sikh women are subject to that requirement. I’m not aware if the religion otherwise treats women the same. It has many warrior aspects to it, so I suspect not. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/19 "2012-07-06T15:05:40Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I’ve read somewhere that gender equality is one of the tenets of the Sikh religion. Does anybody here know about that one way or the other? google “sikh forced marriage” to see how wrong you are. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372/20 "2012-07-06T15:31:25Z")
Shakers were Christian but also represented an egalitarian social movement that valued women and men equally. They lived and worked communally but they were also celibate. > **[Shakers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakers)** > > Other members > The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a millenarian restorationist Christian sect founded c. 1747 in England and then organized in the United States in the 1780s. They were initially known as "Shaking Quakers" because of their ecstatic behavior during worship services. Espousing egalitarian ideals, women took on spiritual leadership roles alongside men, including founding leaders such as Jane Wardley, Ann Lee, and Lu... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-religions-favor-women/627372.md?page=2)