The Pious Sex

The construction of gender in Belgian Catholicism

Although women were called the ‘pious sex’ much earlier, it was during the nineteenth century, when the differences between men and women were being made more explicit, that an intense bond between women and religion was developed. Religiosity was thought to be a ‘natural’ part of femininity and turned religious masculinity into an oddity. This clear-cut gender ideology, however, remains an ideology (prescribed and contested) that needs to be put in the perspective of its context of origin, the bourgeois milieu. How were these gender identities constructed and by whom?

With this volume Van Osselaer seeks to clarify how the gender differentiation was created among Belgian Catholics. She brings to light the extent to which religiosity was inscribed in these constructions and how religious teachings contributed to it. It is clear that the limitations of the ‘feminization’ thesis, a master narrative that has strongly contributed to the introduction of women in religious history, have gradually become more visible. Documenting pastoral care, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Catholic Action, The Pious Sex offers critical commentaries on the master narratives, suggesting that even men could belong to a ‘pious sex’.

This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

"The Pious Sex" was written by Tine Van Osselaer.

Tine Van Osselaer is research professor at Universiteit Antwerpen (Ruusbroec Institute).

Yes, "The Pious Sex" is part of the "KADOC-Studies on Religion, Culture and Society" series. It's book 12 in the series.

Elena Arigita Maza (Universidad de Granada)
Florian Bock (Ruhr Universität Bochum)
Timothy Brittain‐Catlin (University of Cambridge)
James Chappel (Duke University)
Kim Christiaens (KADOC-KU Leuven)
Kathleen James-Chakraborty (University College Dublin)
​​​​James Kennedy (Utrecht University)
​​​Franziska Metzger (PH Luzern)
Patrick Pasture (MoSa‐KU Leuven) - chairman
Isabelle Saint‐Martin (EPHE Paris)
Thijl Sunier (VU Amsterdam)
Árpád von Klimó (Catholic University of America)
Veerle De Laet (Leuven University Press)
Peter Heyrman (KADOC-KU Leuven) - secretary

Proposals

Proposals and enquiries can be sent to Peter Heyrman. The series welcomes monographs and edited volumes. Book proposals may relate to, for example, the political impact of religion, the dynamics between religion and welfare, and missionary history. All proposals and manuscripts are subject to double blind peer review involving at least one external reviewer (proposals) or at least two (manuscripts). The editors strive towards completing the review of proposals within two months and of complete manuscripts within five months after submission.

Please make use of the submission form to present your manuscript or proposal to our board.
Authors interested in Open Access can consult the available funding options.

Links & Resources

PART I GENDERING RELIGION

Gender & Religion
'Plus une femme est sainte, ... , plus elle est femme': 'Naturalising' religiosity
On the intersection of gender studies and religious studies

The 'Feminisation' Thesis: a Primer

Approach
Introducing Belgian Catholics
Opening perspectives
Gender dualisms
Sacred Heart devotion
Catholic Action
Sermons
Pastoral manuals and periodicals
Constructing gender identities

PART II 'GOOD' CATHOLICS

The 'Pious Sex'
Topography of a theme
'The other sex'
Women's piety
Communicating with the 'pious sex'
'La classe dévote'
Women's spiritual guidance: concluding remarks
Only fit for women
'Handle with care': communicating with male parishioners
Winning men through 'masculine' behaviour
The pastor and his flock

Gender Ideology in Church
Setting
Pharisees, porch guards and lovers: gender prejudices and ideals pervading the sermons
Creating a problem?
Considering Belgium
Considering Catholic practice
Considering a crisis

Gender Ideology for the 'Little Church', the Catholic Home
Introducing the Catholic family, cornerstone of Christian society
A family model and model family
'Mulieri non permitto… dominari in virum'
A good wife is God-given
In the name of the Father
Concluding remarks

PART III DEVOTED CATHOLICS

The Sacred Heart Devotion in Belgium
For the love of Christ
For the heart of the nation: Belgium and the Sacred Heart
Devotional practices and movements

Changing Apostles
'More effective than the sound of the bell': the Apostleship of Prayer at the end of the 1860s
The Apostleship in the 1890s: defining a problem
'Divide et impera': reintroducing women in the 1930s
Conclusion

Gendering Heroism
Catholic heroism
Heroic women
Heroic men
Becoming a hero and heroine
Models for Christians

PART IV CATHOLICS IN ACTION

Setting the Stage: Adult Catholic Action Movements
Catholics in action
Introducing the Catholic Action in Belgium
Catholic Action in Belgium: youth organisations
New style adult Catholic Action movements
Young prophets and veterans
Mobilising the laity
Unity and difference

Mobilising Men
'Militant' and 'modern' movements
A lay movement
Promoters and militants
A focus on men
'Real' men
A single-sex movement
'En service commandé'
Catholic Action and new ideologies
Differentiating
Concluding remarks

Mobilising Mothers
Women's Catholic Action
'Helpers'
'Militantes'
Women's movement
Motherhood duties?
'Real' women
Regarding men
Concluding remarks

PART V MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Adam, Eve and the Others
Gender dyads
Gender difference
Dichotomous constructions?

'Feminisation' and 'Masculinisation'

Epilogue

Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index
Colophon

The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for "The Pious Sex" is 10.11116/9789461662132.