Different religious views about the status of women in religion
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how gender inequality impacts individuals and describe Christian and non-religious responses to it.
Key learning points
- Gender inequality has deep roots, though laws like the Equal Pay Act aimed to improve fairness.
- Despite legal progress, gender bias continues through stereotypes, subtle discrimination and unequal systems.
- Humanists promote equality through reason, fairness and human rights.
- Some Christians use the Bible to support traditional roles; others see it as a call to equality.
- Feminist theologians say Christianity must be reformed or replaced to reflect women’s dignity.
Keywords
Discrimination - actions that come from prejudiced attitudes
Gender equality - the idea that people of all genders should have the same rights, responsibilities and opportunities in all areas of life
Microaggression - a subtle comment or action that reinforces a stereotype or causes offence, often unintentionally
Sexism - unfair treatment or attitudes towards someone because of their gender, usually based on the belief that one gender is better than another
Common misconception
All Christians believe that men and women should have different roles because the Bible says so.
Not all Christians agree. Some interpret Bible verses as cultural and support full gender equality, including leadership roles for women. Others, like the Catholic Church, believe men and women are equal in dignity, but have different roles.
Teacher tip
Try setting up a debate centred around the evaluation statement "Gender inequality is still an issue in today's society".
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Prejudice is a opinion about someone not based on reason or experience.
Q2.Which Christian denomination in the UK allows blessings for same-sex couples?
Q3.Even where same-sex acts are considered sinful, individuals with same-sex sexuality are not seen as sinful and should be treated with .
Q4.When did same-sex marriage become legal in England and Wales?
Q5.Humanists advocate for equal treatment of all individuals based on and fairness.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match each term to its correct meaning:
are actions that come from prejudice attitudes
are comments or actions, reinforcing stereotypes, causing offence
is unfair treatment towards someone because of their gender
Q2.The Equal Pay Act was introduced to promote fairness in .
Q3.Why do Humanists promote equality?
Q4.Which verse has often been used to justify traditional gender roles in Christianity?
Q5.How do some Christians justify leadership roles for women?
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Different religious views about the status of women in religion, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Different religious views about the status of women in religion, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Religion, human rights and social justice unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.