PROTESTANT WOMEN have a more positive view of how women are treated
in their church than their Catholic counterparts, according to a Trinity
College Dublin study published yesterday.
Almost three-quarters
of Catholic women do not feel their church “regards women with a lot of
respect” in contrast to 94 per cent of Protestant womenwho feel they are
respected.
Three-fifths of Catholic women also felt their church
“appears to put men first, so society inevitably reflects this” while
just 32 per cent of Protestant women agreed.
Eighty per cent of
Protestant women agreed “there isn’t that much difference between what
men and women do in my church” compared to just under half of Catholic
women.
Seventy-two per cent of Catholic women agreed that their
church “had long tried to control the position of women in society”,
while just 20 per cent of Protestant women agreed.
Despite
misgivings, 73 per cent of Catholic women said the “Catholic clergy are
now more understanding of what women need from their church”.
Over
one-third of Protestant women reported discrimination due to their
religion, with just 4 per cent of Catholic women agreeing.
Both
groups of women were tolerant of abortion in defined circumstances with
90 per cent of Catholic women and 97 per cent of Protestant women
agreeing that “abortion should be allowed if the pregnancy seriously
endangers the life of the mother”.
The study was carried out by Dr
Florence Craven of the Social Attitude and Policy Research Group at
Trinity College in Dublin between 2002 and 2006, and included 467
Catholic and Protestant women.
Both religious groups were equally
represented with half in the 21 to 45 age group and half aged between 46
and 70, covering urban and rural areas.
SIC: IT/IE