Do Religious Institutions Resist or Support Women's “Lost Voice?”

Abstract

This study examines how the concept of the “lost voice” functions in religious circles. Thirty females (divided into three age groups: ages 8 to 10, ages 12 to 14, and ages 20 to 30, equally distributed between a conservative church and an egalitarian church) were interviewed. Results indicated that the younger girls from both churches report sacrificing themselves and their opinions to maintain relationships. Furthermore, the adult women from the egalitarian church evidenced a regaining of their voices and perceived this as a newly found strength. Adult women from the conservative church also evidenced a regaining of their voices and yet perceived this as a weakness.

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