Are We Talking About The Same Thing? An Analysis of “Catholic Feminism”

This paper examines “Catholic feminism” as a term and analyzes the meaning(s) of these words as various Catholic women theologians and leaders have used them throughout the last three decades (~1990 to ~2025). Through engaging Catholic feminist theologians such as Rosemary Radford Ruether, Elizabeth A. Johnson, and Ivone Gebara, this paper reveals how progressive Catholic women have defined Catholic feminism. It draws from Ruether's Sexism and God Talk, Johnson's She Who Is, and Gebara's Longing For Running Water. Through engaging contemporary Catholic women leaders such as Abigail Favale and Josephine Garrett, this work also analyzes how conservative Catholic women are considering Catholic feminism. It engages with Favale and Garrett's involvement with the organization The Catholic Woman and the media project Cultivating Catholic Feminism, which includes free online educational programming related to "Catholic feminism." 

This paper incorporates methodological approaches from religious studies, Catholic theological studies, gender and sexuality studies, and media studies. Over the last three decades, both lay and religious Catholics have debated and contested the term “feminism.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines “feminism” as “[advocacy] of equality of the sexes and the establishment of the political, social, and economic rights of the female sex.” Within the context of Roman Catholicism, “feminism” may seek such equality of the sexes and the establishment of ecclesial rights of the female sex within the Catholic Church. Thus emerges the term Catholic feminism.

While “Catholic feminism” may seem like a paradoxical term, there are multiple women scholars and leaders who have proposed Catholic feminist interventions. In the 1990s, Ruether, Johnson, and Gebara published works proposing progressive Catholic feminist theologies that encourage intersectional approaches to feminism that are rooted in the Catholic faith. In recent years, millennial American Catholic women such as Favale and Garrett have proposed more conservative Catholic feminist approaches through their work with digital media organizations. Both progressive and conservative forms of “Catholic feminism” suggest stated interests in the lived experiences of women; however, it seems that the conservative approach prioritizes some experiences while avoiding and/or suppressing others. In both cases, “Catholic feminism” is a theopolitical matter. 

While using the same term, these women advocate for vastly different outcomes. In the context of Roman Catholicism, what it means to be a “feminist” is becoming increasingly unclear. There is a crucial need to analyze and uncover the various meanings of “Catholic feminism.” Through engaging with the work of these different Catholic women, this paper defines and explores "progressive" and "conservative" forms of Catholic feminism. It raises questions about the kinds of definitions of feminism that are permissible in certain spaces and among certain people and not in others. It seeks to establish a shared understanding for "Catholic feminism" in the field. 

While most uses of “Catholic feminism” – whether those considered progressive or conservative – prioritize the need to acknowledge the dignity of women, there are key contrasts in how different approaches to “Catholic feminism” understand the place, position, and/or authority of women in the Church. This paper argues that for a “Catholic feminism” to be both Catholic and feminist, it must engage with the experiences of Catholic women living in various parts of the world, and it must advocate for the fundamental equality of men and women in the Church. Catholic scholars and practitioners must be precise when using “Catholic feminism,” as such movements have a real impact on how the Church understands, appreciates, and values its nearly 500,000,000 women members around the world. Ultimately, scholars of Catholic theological studies must reconsider the use of “Catholic feminism” entirely and develop more precise language to denote the diverse array that exists in its past, present, and future use and meanings.