Todays Women in World Religion

Book Details:

• Authors: Arvind Sharma, Katherine K. Young

• Publisher: Sri Satguru Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 1997

• ISBN: 9788170305644

• Pages: 476

• Cover: Hardcover

• Dimensions: 23 cm x 15 cm

• Weight: 650 gm

About the Book:
Today's Woman in World Religions, edited by Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young, is the powerful third and final volume in a groundbreaking trilogy that explores the intersection of religion and gender across the world’s major spiritual traditions. Building on the foundations of the earlier works (Women in World Religions and Religion and Women), this volume extends the discussion vertically into contemporary times, addressing modern challenges, transformations, and voices of women within diverse religious contexts.

This comprehensive collection of essays brings together leading women scholars and researchers who offer firsthand insights, anthropological studies, interviews, and case-based observations from Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Confucianism, and indigenous Australian Aboriginal traditions. Through deep cultural immersion and academic rigor, the contributors shed light on how traditional religious roles are being redefined by the global women’s movement.

Themes explored include:

• The revival and current status of Buddhist nunneries

• Feminist theological developments in Christianity and Judaism

• Tensions between tradition and modernity in Hinduism and Islam

• The impact of political ideologies (e.g., communism in China) on women's religious roles

• The complementarity and disruption of gender roles in Aboriginal spirituality

• Global critiques of patriarchy, hierarchy, and gender segregation within religious systems

The essays not only document the religious practices of women but also challenge the androcentric foundations of many faith systems. Feminist scholars like Rita M. Gross, Diane Bell, and Rosemary Radford Ruether engage in a critical re-evaluation of sacred texts, traditions, and authority structures—highlighting both historical marginalization and contemporary breakthroughs. Importantly, the book emphasizes that these changes are not uniform across cultures but are deeply shaped by colonial legacies, industrialization, class struggle, and localized political realities.

Today's Woman in World Religions serves as both a scholarly investigation and a passionate call to reevaluate the roles, rights, and representation of women in religion today. It is essential reading for students and scholars of comparative religion, gender studies, theology, anthropology, and global feminism. This book is not only about women's place in religion—it is about reshaping the understanding of religion itself in a rapidly changing world.