Berkley Center

Women lead church attendance in many if not most societies. They affirm strongly in polls that faith is deeply important to them. Women faith leaders are more visible and vocal. Calls for social justice resonate. And yet there's a shroud of discomfort around issues of women's rights when religion comes into the picture.

So what's the problem? As we celebrate International Women's Day (March 8), let's consider why more religious voices aren't speaking up for women's rights around the world? There are some obvious obstacles -- reproductive health rights and abortion rights among them. Beyond those issues are uneasy questions about what changing gender roles are doing to families and how that relates to traditional faith images of what society is about.

We're all for families, of course, but I notice that when issues of women's rights are raised in many discussions, faith leaders often shift the focus to family. That's where the subtle barriers come in: should women really work outside the home? What about the traditional authority of the father and husband?

Many religious leaders do indeed see the transformation of relations between boys and girls, men and women, as a fundamental issue of justice. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, for example, is today leading as an advocate of equality. Still, many advocates of women's rights simply do not see faith leaders as their natural allies.

But there are plenty of reasons why faith institutions and leaders should get behind the cause. In meetings about international development issues, women's rights are there at the top of the agenda. There's a powerful case that nothing yields higher economic returns than investments in women. Educated women raise healthier, better educated children. They earn more money. They contribute more to society.

And the list of barriers to women's equal rights is long. African women who celebrated Women's Day this year, for example, are pressing for girls to go to school and stay there, to end or restrict polygamy, to stop child marriage and female genital cutting, combat gender violence, and get women represented in legislatures.

Last April, the Washington National Cathedral organized a large celebration of women, faith, and development. They formed three distinct groups: women's organizations, development advocates, and faith leaders. They processed into the Cathedral as groups. During the ceremonies the banners for the three groups were interwoven by dancers.

A year later, the groups have not truly come together. It's high time they did.