Search Results (547)

This article focuses on the choice of the religious life for women during the early modern period, following a Rule that ensured harmony within the cloister. We trace the emergence of codes of life for female communities across time, with particular attention to the Rule of St. Benedict and its adoption by Cistercian communities, where silence assumed a particular significance. Silence, sounds, and monastic daily life as governed by the Rule, by the Tridentine decrees and, in the case of Portuguese Cistercian communities, obedience to the Autonomous Congregation of Alcobaça and to its supervisory mechanism of Visitations, were elements that shaped both the discourse presented here and its interpretive framework. While the Council of Trent emphasized the importance of vocation and simultaneously imposed upon women the so-called “fourth vow” (enclosure), documentary evidence allows us to observe to what extent the conventual milieu, composed of women from diverse social origins, remained engaged with the wider world outside cloister; nunneries became both a mode of existence and a space of affirmation for women, one that fostered creativity (in music, writing, painting) and upheld authority and power, embodied in the figure of the abbess and in the acts, rituals, and ceremonies associated with her. Full article

The Belgian constitution establishes that communities shall dispense neutral teaching that also respects both religious convictions and non-denominational philosophical choices. The application of this article has led to several conflicts with the religiosity of parents and students, among which one stands out eminently: the prohibition of the Islamic headscarf in schools in Flanders and Wallonia. It is precisely in the first of these communities, Flanders, where the collisions between the principle of neutrality and the religious freedom of Muslim women who intend to continue wearing this religious symbol continue to be reproduced, not only for reasons of religiosity, but also of identity. Signally, one of the main problems lies in the difficulties in delimiting the extension of the concept of neutrality as a limit to religious freedom, a task in which there does not seem to be agreement, neither among the main agents of the education system nor even among the courts of justice of the community. The best proof of this are the last two developments in the matter, the European Court of Human Right judgment in the Mykias case and the unsuccessful attempt to ban the Islamic veil in the province of Flanders. Full article

The division of labor in mixed-gender couples has been a popular research topic for several decades, including discussions about household labor, childcare, and paid employment. However, few studies have examined these processes as they apply to highly religious couples, whose perspectives on labor division show some evidence of diverging from those who are less devout. To better understand how successful mixed-gender, highly religious couples from a broad range of faith traditions conceptualize the division of paid and unpaid labor, we employed a strengths-based, qualitative approach, examining data from 103 interviews with highly religious, highly satisfied couples (N = 206 participants). Viewed within an interdependence theory framework, findings across numerous religions and ethnicities revealed evidence of communal relationships, with themes emphasizing partnership, shared responsibility, and varied labor arrangements that required commitment, trust, and sacrifice. While spouses evidenced high levels of agreement with each other, a strong emphasis on a husband’s responsibility to provide financially contrasted with a more nuanced view of women’s roles, with some participants stressing women’s roles at home and some highlighting their right to choose employment and a more flexible household labor division. Difficulties mentioned revolved around traditional labor arrangements and work–life balance for husbands. Full article

Background/aim: Despite the fact that qualitative research on postpartum depression (PPD) has been extensively researched globally, women’s perceptions of PPD misconceptions are mostly ignored in developing countries like Jordan. Thus, this study aims to explore Jordanian women’s sociocultural perceptions and misconceptions about PPD using the descriptive phenomenological design. Methods: Fourteen women who had either a normal or caesarean (C-section) delivery and resided in Irbid, Northern Jordan, participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews, which lasted 15 to 25 min in May 2025. Data were gathered via field note transcriptions of interviews, and analysis followed Colaizzi’s data analysis methodology. Results: Among participants, five women (all C-section deliveries) reported a PPD diagnosis, while the remaining normal delivery women reported experiencing depression before giving birth. The women’s sociocultural perceptions and misconceptions about PPD were found to be reflected in a number of themes. The theme “perceiving PPD as normal baby blues” captures the general lack of awareness regarding this disorder. Three important themes—“myths”, “psychological”, and “spiritual and religious failure”—show how little is known about the causes. The two primary themes that are impacted by sociocultural perspectives are “stigma” and “mistrust of professional care services”. The accuracy and misconceptions around this disorder are summed up in four basic themes: “emotional misconceptions”, “cultural misconceptions”, “false beliefs about health”, and “think of PPD as indolence”. Conclusions: Jordanian women have limited understanding and misconceptions of PPD. Adopting culturally relevant awareness campaigns is essential to disseminating the knowledge required to facilitate improved treatment pathways. Full article

In the digital age, social media platforms homogenize beauty standards and intricately link clothing choices to social norms and class identities. Grounded in Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural and social capital, supplemented by Erving Goffman’s theory of stigma, this study examines how social media amplifies pre-existing socio-cultural pressures that influence Turkish women’s decisions to abandon the hijab. The research has practical implications for understanding and addressing hijab abandonment. It employs a qualitative design based on semi-structured interviews with 13 participants, analyzed through a phenomenological approach. The findings reveal that the pursuit of social acceptance and resistance to social exclusion are more decisive factors in hijab abandonment than direct social media influence. While social media serves as a crucial amplifier of aesthetic ideals and a gateway to digital legitimacy, the primary drivers are deeply rooted in the pursuit of social acceptance and resistance to long-standing mechanisms of socio-cultural exclusion, stigmatization, and symbolic violence—processes intensified and mediated through digital platforms. The analysis uncovers the operation of a dual-sided neighborhood pressure, whereby women face scrutiny from both religious communities enforcing idealized piety norms and secular circles perpetuating stigmatizing labels such as backwardness or ignorance. Crucially, participants reported that unveiling was strategically employed as a means of overcoming barriers to professional advancement, gaining access to elite social spheres, and escaping the constant burden of representation. The study concludes that hijab abandonment emerges as a complex strategy of social navigation, where digital platforms act as powerful accelerants of pre-existing class- and identity-based conflicts. Full article

Urbanicity is a recognized determinant of mental health, yet conventional measures such as population density or the rural–urban divide often fail to capture the complex realities of informal settlements in low- and middle-income countries. This paper conceptualizes neighborhood effects through the lived experiences of young women in Kampala, Uganda, drawing on participatory research from the NIH-funded TOPOWA study. Using community mapping and Photovoice, participants identified neighborhood features that shape wellbeing, including sanitation facilities, drainage systems, alcohol outlets, health centers, schools, boda boda stages (motorcycle taxis), lodges, religious institutions, water sources, markets, and recreational spaces. These methods revealed both stressors—poor waste management, flooding, violence, gendered harassment, crime, and alcohol-related harms—and protective resources, including education, places of worship, health centers, social networks, identity, and sports activities. We argue that urbanicity in slum contexts should be understood as a multidimensional construct encompassing deprivation, fragmentation, exclusion, and resilience. This reconceptualization advances conceptual clarity, strengthens the validity of mental health research in low-resource settings, and informs interventions that simultaneously address structural risks and promote community assets. The case of Kampala demonstrates how participatory evidence can reshape the understanding of neighborhood effects with implications, for global mental health research and practice. Full article

Cancer is one of the biggest health burdens for women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with the incidence of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer on the rise. Although preventive measures such as the HPV vaccination and population-based screening are available, access to them remains very unequal. Women in rural, low-income and refugee communities face additional barriers, cultural stigmatisation, low health literacy, gender norms and fragile health systems, leading to delayed diagnoses and poorer outcomes. This review summarises the results of 724 peer-reviewed publications to assess the current situation of cancer screening in MENA and Mediterranean countries. The studies were classified into four dimensions: cancer type (breast, cervical, colorectal), behavioural constructs (awareness, uptake, education), vulnerability factors (e.g., migrants, refugees, low-literacy groups), and geography (indigenous MENA populations versus diaspora and Mediterranean immigrant communities). The results show large inequalities in access and participation due to fragmented policies, socio-cultural resistance and infrastructure gaps. Nevertheless, promising approaches are emerging: community-led outreach, mobile screening programmes, AI-assisted triage and culturally appropriate digital health interventions. Comparisons between the local and diaspora populations make it clear that systemic and cultural barriers persist even in well-equipped facilities. Closing the screening gap requires a culturally sensitive, digitally enabled and policy aligned approach. Key priorities include engaging religious and community leaders, promoting men’s engagement in women’s health and securing sustainable funding. With coordinated action across all sectors, MENA countries can build inclusive screening programmes that reach vulnerable women and reduce preventable cancer mortality. Full article

This article undertakes a cross-cultural comparative inquiry into the motif of “women’s weaving” in medieval Daoism and Christianity. Although the two traditions developed with minimal historical contact, both elevate women’s textile labor into a central metaphor for cosmogenesis, sacred order, and individual salvation. Nevertheless, their hermeneutic trajectories diverge in essential ways. Working within a tripartite analytical framework (intellectual roots, artistic images, ritual practices) to argue that Daoism interprets “women’s weaving” as a proactive technique of transformation and nurture, based on a cosmology of immanent huasheng lun. In this reading, the image is affiliated with the cosmic creativity of nüxian, the inner transformation of their body, and the autonomous pursuit of transcendence. By contrast, within Christianity’s transcendent theological horizon of creatio ex nihilo, “women’s weaving” is configured primarily as an ethical discipline of responsive obedience, closely tied to the mystery of the Incarnation, the imitatio Dei, and communal spiritual exercises and charity under monasticism. The cross-cultural resonance of this motif, I contend, is grounded in the “men’s ploughing and women’s weaving” economic formation, patriarchal gender order, and shared symbolic cognition; its decisive bifurcation arises from contrasting deep cultural structures—namely, cosmology, conceptions of the body, soteriology, and church–state arrangements. Through this micro-case, the article further argues that the sacralization of secular gender roles constitutes an agentic cultural choice, one that indexes distinct civilizational pathways in understanding creation, nature, the body, and freedom. Full article

Violence against women remains one of the most persistent social problems in Türkiye, often reinforced by patriarchal interpretations of religion and cultural traditions. This study investigates the role of religious institutions and values-based education in preventing such violence by analyzing national curricula, mosque sermons, policy documents, and reports of the Presidency of Religious Affairs. Using a qualitative design based on document analysis and literature review, it examines how religious education reflects or omits gender-related themes and how institutional practices shape public awareness. The findings reveal that while formal and non-formal types of religious education promote moral values such as compassion, justice, and respect, they rarely address gender-based violence explicitly. Religious discourse tends to emphasize general moral development rather than specific strategies for preventing violence against women. The study concludes that integrating gender-sensitive content into religious curricula, promoting authentic Qur’anic teachings on equality and mercy, and providing professional training for religious personnel are essential to transforming societal attitudes. Strengthening cooperation between educational institutions, religious authorities, and policymakers will ensure that religion functions as a constructive moral resource rather than a tool for legitimizing inequality. Full article

Improved maternal experiences and outcomes have been widely linked to the presence of birth companions. However, cultural norms, institutional constraints, and privacy concerns frequently restrict women’s choice of birth companions in many Middle Eastern countries, including Jordan. This study investigated Jordanian women’s beliefs and barriers about the presence of companions in the labour room. A qualitative descriptive study design was conducted using Braun and Clarke’s framework for thematic analysis. Thirteen women (ages 21 to 38 years) with prior pregnancy and childbirth experience were chosen from a free health awareness event in Irbid, Northern Jordan in July 2025, to participate in semi-structured interviews. The responses were recorded on audio tapes and subsequently stored in their original format. Data were coded, transcribed, and then thematically analyzed to identify beliefs and perceived barriers. The most significant beliefs were: (i) emotional and psychological support, wherein companionship was thought to alleviate fear and provide reassurance; (ii) strengthening family ties, as women saw shared childbirth experiences as improving family bonds; and (iii) cultural and religious interpretations, wherein female relatives were frequently seen as more acceptable than husbands. Women reported two barriers to allowing companions in the labour room: (i) privacy and modesty issues, where they feared embarrassment, exposure, and judgment, and (ii) institutional and policy restrictions, such as restrictive hospital regulations. Although Jordanian women recognized the emotional and interpersonal benefits of having company during childbirth, they encountered numerous substantial institutional, cultural, and privacy-related barriers. Improving women’s birth experiences and promoting respectful maternity care may be achieved by addressing these issues through culturally sensitive education, privacy-enhancing infrastructure, and regulatory reform. Full article

The history of women’s education in Portugal predates the implementation of an official system, which was only consistently addressed after 1836 with Passos Manuel’s reform of primary instruction. Long before that, particularly from the Early Modern period onwards, women religious played a key role in providing education. Convents and Third Order houses—alongside families, charities, and religion-inspired foundations—offered instruction considered appropriate to women’s gender and social status. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) extended strict enclosure to all female convents, leading to the “monasticisation” of education—an arrangement that neither promoted the visibility of female learners nor encouraged the development of the pedagogical models that shaped their instruction. The later emergence of teaching orders, despite their adherence to enclosure, began to challenge the traditional monastic model. Drawing on largely unpublished or scarcely explored archival sources, this article seeks to shed light on the historical reasons behind the prominent and precedent-setting role of monasticism in the field of female education, and to address the enduring invisibility that still shrouds the cloistered world. Full article

Feminist and women religious scholars seek reconciliatory resources beyond the conservative/progressive binary that fuels conflicts, undermines communication and agency, and sustains oppressive structures. Drawing on feminist theology and religious anthropology, this qualitative study investigates how progressive clergywomen in South Korea exercise agency to move beyond this binary. It argues that their agency integrates resistance with measured accommodations of conservative elements, reflecting reconciliatory self-reconfigurations shaped by Korean historical and theological shifts across democratization, an intertwined conservative—progressive landscape, and personal influences, especially family. Central to this shift are (1) anthropological and theological reorientations that emphasize human vulnerability, resilient Christian faith/identity, and a shared foundation of Christian life transcending dichotomies—faith/activism, personal/social salvation, and oppressed minjung/oppressor—and (2) a rediscovery of conservative elements, including biblical centrality and everyday sharing. These reorientations find practical expression in contextual sensitivity, embodied faith, and a gradualist approach. Building on earlier scholarship—especially in Korea—that highlights conservative laywomen’s agency, this study analyzes rare cases of progressive clergywomen pursuing change amid tensions with conservative congregations, identifying feasible and sustainable pastoral resources. Their resistance to binary anthropology and their reconciliation of faith and social engagement contribute to renewing Minjung theology. The study further enriches religious anthropology by illuminating the organic interplay between personal and public motivations. Full article

Introduction: Refusal to undergo treatment, including one of its manifestations, discharge against medical advice, must be informed, just as consent is, which is considered a core ethical principle in contemporary medical ethics. The aim of this study was to explore physicians’ attitudes and intended behaviour toward patients’ refusal of necessary treatment and to identify factors associated with their clinical decisions in such situations. Methods: A cross-sectional anonymous online survey of 393 physicians working in Lithuanian public hospitals was conducted between November 2020 and March 2021 using the secure national platform manoapklausa.lt. A convenience sampling strategy ensured representation of both large university and smaller regional hospitals, and all responses were complete due to mandatory fields in the questionnaire. Results: Most physicians (85%; 95% CI 81.2 to 88.5) have encountered situations of refusal to undergo treatment. Women (p < 0.05) and senior physicians (aged 51 years and over) (p < 0.05) tend to apply treatment without patients’ consent more often in all clinical cases, especially in surgical ones (VN1 and VN2). Difficulty in the decision-making process was associated with chronic conditions and the influence of individual religious beliefs. Insufficient patient information on the intervention was indicated as the main cause of refusal to undergo treatment (62.9%; 95% CI 58.0 to 67.4). Refusal to undergo treatment was associated with physicians’ concern about the patient (57.5%; 95% CI 52.7 to 62.3) and anxiety (38.9%; 95% CI 34.1 to 43.8). Physicians’ attitudes towards patients’ refusal to undergo treatment reflect paternalistic patterns and are mainly associated with the physician’s older age, gender, and duration of professional experience. Insufficient patient information on the intervention was indicated as the most important factor determining patients’ refusal to undergo treatment. Under Lithuanian law, patients have a clear legal right to refuse treatment, and physicians who proceed without consent may face criminal liability. Conclusions: Our findings show that, despite the legal restrictions, many physicians would still choose to treat against a patient’s will, reflecting a persistent paternalistic attitude even in the presence of clear legal prohibitions. Full article

Background: Emergency contraception (EC), also known as postcoital contraception, is a method used to prevent an unintended pregnancy following unprotected or inadequately protected sexual intercourse. The available options include emergency contraceptive pills or the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD). Emergency contraception pills contain either levonorgestrel (a single 1.5 mg dose, effective within 72 h) or ulipristal acetate (a single 30 mg dose, effective within 120 h), both of which are most effective when taken as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. Another highly effective option is the insertion of a copper or levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device, although IUDs are not registered for EC use in all countries. The aims of this cross-sectional, comparative, observational study were to collect data on the emergency contraception methods used by adolescent girls and young women to examine their association with various factors, such as religious beliefs, and to evaluate the effectiveness of different emergency contraception methods, including hormonal options and intrauterine devices. Methods: Data were collected from 240 women who attended our Family Planning Clinic using a structured questionnaire that included items on their demographic characteristics, religious beliefs, medical history, lifestyle factors, contraceptive use and side effects, prior use of emergency contraception, method selected, and reasons for seeking emergency contraception. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, comparisons between religious groups were conducted using chi-square tests, and factors related to the timing of emergency contraceptive use were investigated using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results: Most of the reasons for emergency contraception use did not differ significantly between Christian and Muslim participants. However, Christians were significantly more likely to use emergency contraception due to missed contraceptive doses (20.9% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.004) or the failure to take a progesterone-only pill (19.1% vs. 3.3%, p = 0.001). Levonorgestrel was the most frequently used method in both groups (48.9% of Christians vs. 60% of Muslims, p = 0.132), followed by ulipristal acetate (30.9% vs. 40%, p = 0.180). Notably, 18.5% of Christian participants used an intrauterine device (IUD) for emergency contraception, while no Muslim participants reported IUD use (p < 0.001), indicating a significant difference potentially influenced by cultural or religious factors. Conclusions: Both religious and individual sociodemographic factors affect not only the choice of emergency contraception but also the urgency with which the emergency contraception is used. Interventions aimed at improving contraception education, addressing partner-related challenges, and promoting timely access could improve reproductive health outcomes. Full article

Background/Objectives: Intermittent fasting (IF), such as Ramadan fasting, is common among pregnant women despite religious exemptions. The possible impact of fasting on pregnancy outcome and, in particular, on birthweight is uncertain and was documented with conflicting evidence. Methods: The aim of this meta-analysis and systematic review was to investigate the association between intermittent fasting during pregnancy and neonatal birthweight, along with low birthweight (LBW, <2500 g) risk. Studies evaluating fasting during pregnancy with reported neonatal outcomes were included. We searched (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) from 2004 through June 2025. All contributing studies were observational in design; no randomized trials were identified. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The pooled relative risks (RR) and mean differences (MD) were calculated according to random-effects models (DerSimonian–Laird method) and heterogeneity was quantified with the I² statistic. Results: Nineteen studies, all observational in design, were included for qualitative synthesis, and six studies yielded quantitative data to conduct meta-analyses. No randomized controlled trials were identified. Intermittent fasting during pregnancy, encompassing more than 1.3 million pregnancies, was associated with a small but statistically significant reduction in neonatal birth weight. The pooled mean difference was −94 g (95% CI: −176 to −12 g; p = 0.03; I² = 70%), indicating a minor but statistically significant effect that is unlikely to be clinically meaningful. The pooled RR for LBW was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.88–1.05; p = 0.38; I² < 10%), showing no association between fasting and low birthweight risk. Sensitivity analyses reduced heterogeneity (I² ≈ 55%) and confirmed the robustness of these findings. According to the GRADE approach, the certainty of evidence was moderate for birthweight and high for LBW. Conclusions: Intermittent fasting during pregnancy, including Ramadan fasting, was associated with a minor but statistically significant reduction in neonatal birthweight without increasing the risk of low birthweight. This difference was small and clinically negligible. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify trimester-specific effects and long-term developmental outcomes. Full article