The religion in Central America: empowering or patriarchal in its relationship with women?

Abstract

This study analyzes the type of leadership afforded to women in the faith communities that were part of the study “The Impact of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements on Local Community Organization and Political Participation in Central America,” with the aim of determining whether the style of participation fostered within these communities allows women to engage in empowering activities or, rather, keeps them confined to reproductive roles. It will also examine whether women tend to prioritize private spaces for participation, engaging less than their male counterparts in other social spaces and thereby reproducing traditional gender roles. The aim is to determine whether religion promotes empowerment among its female members or, rather, contributes to the continued perpetuation of patriarchy within the membership of the communities studied.