September 23, 2008

Patriarchy has been the dominant influence in shaping men and oppressing women, a workshop sponsored by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) has concluded.

Meeting in Blantyre, Malawi, from 13 to 19 September, 35 men and women from Africa, Asia and Caribbean stated in a report that patriarchy is also a critical theological issue for the church to confront.

"Churches have been complicit in gender disparity, discrimination and violence because they have failed to engage patriarchy critically," they said in the report on the workshop "In Partnership for Gender Justice: Towards Transformative Masculinities."

"Patriarchy has pervaded all spheres of life from culture to social organization, political and economic systems, institutions, theories and structures. This reality has resulted in the oppression of women and also large numbers of men in all spheres of life.

"Globalization, modernization and the HIV/AIDS pandemic are creating new contexts (changing contexts) to which traditional and oppressive masculinities are challenged to adapt towards gender equity and healing.

"Likewise, changing contexts defy the traditional and subjugated roles that women have been assigned in society and are exposing men's fears of and ill reactions to women's achievements," the report states.

The workshop participants called for a re-socialization of men into "gender sensitive masculinities" and called on churches to revisit theologies and re-read their biblical texts in light of the current gender justice crisis.

The workshop was organized as part of the ongoing gender justice work of WARC and as part of WCC's preparation for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in 2011. Its aim was to hold a conversation between men and women in the context of the call for men to be partners with women in the fight against gender disparity, discrimination and violence.

The report states that the workshop marks a shift from an exclusive look at women's empowerment towards a discourse on partnership between women and men.

"This workshop affirmed the importance of involving men's perspective in addressing issues of gender disparity that sometimes finds expression in violence against women," said Fulata Moyo, programme executive for Women in Church and Society.

Bishop James Tengatenga of the Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi added: "We would like to come up with tactics on how to deal with (male violence against women) and make men realize that masculinity is not being superior or violent against the opposite sex."

Concluded Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth of WARC's Office for Church Renewal, Justice and Partnership, "It is important for churches to create spaces for honest and open discussion on the perpetuation of stereotypes derived from culture (including political culture) and traditions, religious practices and beliefs, which are detrimental not only to women but to men and to the community.

"Churches have a critical role to play in enabling men to develop a more conscientized understanding of what it means to be partners, lovers, brothers, sons and friends."

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries – united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled world. The WARC general secretary is Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. WARC's secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

World Alliance of Reformed Churches