Date of Award
Fall 2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Stokes, Susan
Abstract
This dissertation seeks to understand how religion shapes political outcomes related to women's participation. Much political science scholarship emphasizes the material or structural aspects of religion in shaping political commitments. In contrast, I highlight the importance of religious norms and beliefs, conveyed chiefly by clerical leaders. I delve into the Colombian case and compare the effects of Catholic and Pentecostal teachings about women's roles and attributes. With survey experimental data, text-as-data techniques, and interview-based fieldwork, I demonstrate that Catholic sermons tend to elicit benevolent sexism, a mindset that seeks to protect women who occupy traditional male roles in the public sphere while also asking them to fulfill conventional female roles in the private sphere. In turn, Pentecostal messages are surprisingly encouraging of women's public leadership, and Pentecostal women are more eager to participate in public life than other religious and non-religious women.
Recommended Citation
Sarkar, Radha, "Religion and the Politics of Gender" (2023). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 1162.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/1162
