Between womanhood as ideal and womanhood as a social practice: women's experiences in the Church organisation in Poland
Using the conceptual framework proposed by Susan Sered and institutional gender theories, this article analyses the relationship between the symbolic and idealised image of femininity with which Catholic women working in the organisations of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland identify themselves an...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Carfax Publ.
[2019]
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| In: |
Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 2019, Volume: 34, Issue: 2, Pages: 311-330 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Poles
/ Catholic church
/ Church organization
/ Woman
/ Idealization
/ Gender-specific role
/ Stereotype
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| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy CH Christianity and Society KBK Europe (East) KDB Roman Catholic Church |
| Further subjects: | B
Roman Catholic Church
B Femininity B Poland B Religion B Gender |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Using the conceptual framework proposed by Susan Sered and institutional gender theories, this article analyses the relationship between the symbolic and idealised image of femininity with which Catholic women working in the organisations of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland identify themselves and practices of femininity in the structures of Church institutions. I locate the difficulties experienced by women in the Church in realising this symbolic image of femininity. At the same time, I identify the strategies taken by women as ways of dealing with the difficulties and as practices of achieving normative femininity in unfavourable circumstances. I analyse three types of strategies: sacralising difficulties and experienced barriers, familiarising relationships in the Church, and affirming femininity. The article examines the content of interviews conducted between 2012 and 2015 with 31 laywomen working in Church organisations in 15 dioceses in Poland and in the Episcopal Conference, who held three types of positions: office workers/secretaries, professionals, and directors. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-9419 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2019.1621550 |