Gender

Orthodox Christian women in North Africa and West Asia often face double discrimination on the basis of both religion and gender. Many Orthodox communities are so preoccupied with their survival that they have not given much energy to discussion of gender roles. Women’s leadership in any form is often viewed as leading automatically to women’s ordination, which is not permitted by Orthodox tradition. Women’s religious participation is also limited by devaluation of the role of the laity in general. One important theological debate in the Orthodox church today is the possible revival of the ancient tradition of the female diaconate, an ordained order of women ministering to other women. Another gendered theological issue is that of bodily purity in the church; traditionally, women have been prohibited from participating in the Eucharist during menstrual and postpartum bleeding. The Orthodox church must find ways to simultaneously hold fast to its tradition while also addressing relevant cultural issues of today, including gender discrimination.