{"id":11,"date":"2026-02-22T11:34:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T16:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/?page_id=11"},"modified":"2026-04-29T13:25:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T17:25:53","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide explores the resources held in Smith College Special Collections related to the religious feminist movement, and is intended to serve as a starting point for research. These materials generally date from the mid- to late-twentieth century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Topics covered include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/feminist-theology\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"22\">Feminist Theology<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/womens-ministry-religious-leadership\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"24\">Women&#8217;s Ministry &amp; Leadership<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/larger-feminist-issues\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"26\">Religion in Broader Feminist Issues <\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its simplest form, religious feminism refers to the development of religious beliefs and practices\u2014both within and outside of traditional religious institutions\u2014through a feminist lens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The intersection of faith and gender equality has been present in social movements for centuries. Throughout the 1900s, for instance, activists for suffrage and birth control drew inspiration from their faith and used religious appeals to mobilize supporters. The modern period of this movement first emerged publicly in the 1960s with the publication of several feminist scholars\u2019 critiques of gender-based inequality in religious life.<sup data-fn=\"999f13cc-3972-44c7-91e8-7ca1988d7c4e\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#999f13cc-3972-44c7-91e8-7ca1988d7c4e\" id=\"999f13cc-3972-44c7-91e8-7ca1988d7c4e-link\">1<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6ad656404dc2f&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6ad656404dc2f\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"667\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-4.21.15-PM-2-1-667x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-4.21.15-PM-2-1-667x1024.png 667w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-4.21.15-PM-2-1-195x300.png 195w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-4.21.15-PM-2-1-768x1179.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-4.21.15-PM-2-1.png 922w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><br>Illustration from the Journal of Women and Religion, Spring 1981.<sup data-fn=\"056fa1da-a499-49bb-bb96-fb2478fe1ac3\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#056fa1da-a499-49bb-bb96-fb2478fe1ac3\" id=\"056fa1da-a499-49bb-bb96-fb2478fe1ac3-link\">2<\/a><\/sup> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the movement grew, activists and theologians prioritized boosting women\u2019s participation in religious life, encouraging leadership, and disconnecting their faiths from structural patriarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Religious feminism can best be understood as a composite movement. Like all social movements, some individuals and organizations prioritized large-scale collaborative work, and others did not. The relationships and interactions within the movement can be complex and hard to track, especially when links were informal or went unrecorded. Although this site is organized thematically, users should be aware that religious feminism cannot truly be compartmentalized.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-right\"><strong>How to Use this Guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6ad6564050738&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6ad6564050738\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-5.40.06-PM-1-1-850x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-5.40.06-PM-1-1-850x1024.png 850w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-5.40.06-PM-1-1-249x300.png 249w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-5.40.06-PM-1-1-768x925.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1278\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-08-at-5.40.06-PM-1-1.png 990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><br>Image from a brochure for a conference titled &#8220;The Impact of Women on Jewish Renewal,&#8221; nd.<sup data-fn=\"0150296d-d71c-494b-bf48-62217888d27d\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#0150296d-d71c-494b-bf48-62217888d27d\" id=\"0150296d-d71c-494b-bf48-62217888d27d-link\">3<\/a><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Materials in the archive offer insights into both the development of <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/feminist-theology\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"22\">feminist theology<\/a> and the resulting concrete efforts to make religious spaces compatible with feminist thought, like pushes for <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/womens-ministry-religious-leadership\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"24\">feminist leadership<\/a>. Many collections also highlight the vast overlap between religious feminism and <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/larger-feminist-issues\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"26\">other goals of the feminist movement<\/a><em>,<\/em> like the push for reproductive rights.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Material related to religious feminism can be found in all three of Smith College Special Collections\u2019 repositories\u2014the Sophia Smith Collection of Women\u2019s History, the College Archives, and the Mortimer Rare Book Collection. Collections featured on this site each contain a significant amount of material related in some way to religious feminism. It is by no means a comprehensive list or summary of all resources related to the subject, but seeks to provide a helpful introduction to the subject and how it can be researched in Special Collections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the menu above to navigate to pages with more information about women\u2019s religious leadership, feminist theology, or religious feminism\u2019s connection to broader issues. Each page offers a deeper look into a few selected materials, to provide background information and a sense of what information can be found in Special Collections. The <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/network-map\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"28\">network map<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/organization-building\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"43\">timeline<\/a> pages contextualize individuals and groups\u2019 actions within broader developments. To identify resources for future research, explore the <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/larger-feminist-issues\/collections-at-smith\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"56\">Collections at Smith<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/larger-feminist-issues\/further-resources\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"58\">Secondary Sources<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This site is only part of a larger project. The second half involved the creation of a <a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.smith.edu\/c.php?g=1529337&amp;p=11455767\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Religious Feminism libguide<\/a> for the Smith College Special Collections website. It features lists and descriptions of relevant collections, organized thematically, as well as information about accessing materials.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Note on Scope&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Special Collections&#8217; holdings related to Western religious traditions, primarily Christianity and Judaism, are strong. However, early theological networks were overwhelmingly formed by white, wealthy women, and diversity did not become a priority until the late 1980s and \u201890s. Near the end of the century, many thinkers worked to overcome barriers and establish intersectional theological frameworks. Within the field, emerging scholars carved out spaces related to a broader range of lived experiences, including Black feminist theology, Asian feminist theology, and lesbian theology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Special Collections\u2019 holdings regarding lesbian and queer theology are particularly strong, and there are many opportunities to research the intersection of these movements and religious feminism. However, the collection has few resources related to race and feminist theology, or non-Abrahamic religious perspectives. Some material is present related to other traditions, including Buddhism and Hinduism, but it is almost entirely produced by white American non-practitioners without the input of members of these faiths. These gaps in the historical record are crucial to consider when searching for sources, and generally reflect the inequalities of how social movements are archived rather than the true absence of these voices in the religious feminist movement.<\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"999f13cc-3972-44c7-91e8-7ca1988d7c4e\">\u00a0The publication of Valerie Saiving Goldstein\u2019s 1960 essay \u201cThe Human Situation: A Feminine View\u201d was a watershed moment for the development of feminist theology. Other key texts include <em>The Church and the Second Sex <\/em>by Mary Daly and the secular feminist text <em>The Feminine Mystique<\/em> by Betty Friedan. See <em>Feminist Theology<\/em> for more information on Daly.\u00a0 <a href=\"#999f13cc-3972-44c7-91e8-7ca1988d7c4e-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"056fa1da-a499-49bb-bb96-fb2478fe1ac3\">Journal of Women and Religion, 1981, Women&#8217;s Interfaith Institute records, Sophia Smith Collection, SSC-MS-00734, Smith College Special Collections, Northampton, Massachusetts. <a href=\"#056fa1da-a499-49bb-bb96-fb2478fe1ac3-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 2\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"0150296d-d71c-494b-bf48-62217888d27d\">&#8220;The Impact of Women on Jewish Renewal&#8221; Conference Brochure, nd., Judith Plaskow papers, Sophia Smith Collection, SSC-MS-00565, Smith College Special Collections, Northampton, Massachusetts. <a href=\"#0150296d-d71c-494b-bf48-62217888d27d-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 3\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-background-color\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0462018f wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide is-content-justification-space-between is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b14186be wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><h1 class=\"wp-block-site-title has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"home\">Religious Feminism: A Resource Guide<\/a><\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Special Studies Project by Chlo\u00e9 Arciero, Smith College &#8217;26<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This guide explores the resources held in Smith College Special Collections related to the religious feminist movement, and is intended to serve as a starting&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6723,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"[{\"id\":\"999f13cc-3972-44c7-91e8-7ca1988d7c4e\",\"content\":\"\\u00a0The publication of Valerie Saiving Goldstein\\u2019s 1960 essay \\u201cThe Human Situation: A Feminine View\\u201d was a watershed moment for the development of feminist theology. Other key texts include <em>The Church and the Second Sex <\\\/em>by Mary Daly and the secular feminist text <em>The Feminine Mystique<\\\/em> by Betty Friedan. See <em>Feminist Theology<\\\/em> for more information on Daly.\\u00a0\"},{\"id\":\"056fa1da-a499-49bb-bb96-fb2478fe1ac3\",\"content\":\"Journal of Women and Religion, 1981, Women's Interfaith Institute records, Sophia Smith Collection, SSC-MS-00734, Smith College Special Collections, Northampton, Massachusetts.\"},{\"id\":\"0150296d-d71c-494b-bf48-62217888d27d\",\"content\":\"\\\"The Impact of Women on Jewish Renewal\\\" Conference Brochure, nd., Judith Plaskow papers, Sophia Smith Collection, SSC-MS-00565, Smith College Special Collections, Northampton, Massachusetts.\"}]","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-11","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6723"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":690,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11\/revisions\/690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religiousfeminism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}