Abstract
The issue of gender deserves more attention in our study of religious rituals. As a social phenomenon, the unequal conditions for ritual action along the line of gender is not new. A woman cannot preside over certain rituals (such as offering the sacrament or reciting prayer) in many religious traditions. In the case of Confucianism, there is no formal clergy and men act as the officiants the ritual activities, with women participating in subordinate roles. This is what I call “gendered ritual inequality.” In this paper I begin with a theoretical exploration of the idea of “gendered ritual inequality” and its consequences. I then focusing on specific examples in Contemporary Confucian practice. Ancestral rituals, especially performed on the sacred ritual date of Qingming, are the most important annual ritual activities for Confucians. Yet married women are traditionally forbidden from taking part in making offerings to the spirits of their deceased parents, since only the sons are allowed to perform the rituals, with their wives assisting. A married woman is expected only to perform the rituals with her husband to the spirits of his parents. In the past decade, however, there has been a movement for married women to gain the right to perform rituals for their own parents, and many women are already doing so in urban areas. I suggest such challenges and changes, especially in collective form, illuminate the possibility of rectifying a fundamental gender inequality that is essential to a meaningful religious life.
Presenters
Anna SunAssociate Professor of Religious Studies and Sociology, Duke University, North Carolina, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Fragile Meanings: Vulnerability in the Study of Religions and Spirituality
KEYWORDS
Confucianism, Ritual Practice, Gender Equality, Religious Meaning
