Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
First Advisor
Clark, Michael
Second Advisor
Clark, April
Degree Name
Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
Legacy Department
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Do variations in institutionalized relations between the state and religion explain gender inequality? If so, does gender discrimination occur regardless of the policy domain, or is the state-religion relationship to women’s rights contingent upon the policy area’s characteristics that explain gender inequality? To answer these questions, this dissertation employs a three-pronged strategy: (1) a cross-sectional analysis of 170 countries using 2019 data; (2) a sub-sample analysis of 56 Muslim-majority countries; and (3) a time-series-cross-sectional (TSCS) analysis of 163 countries spanning the period from 1990 to 2022. The aim of this research is to examine the extent to which institutionalized state-religion relations shape gender discrimination in public policy, with a special focus on variations across doctrinal (i.e., issues related to religious doctrines) versus non-doctrinal (i.e., issues distant from religious doctrines) domains. The common finding across the three stages of analysis broadly supports the hypotheses: institutionalized state-religion relations (whether through an official religion, religious legislation, constitutional Islamization, or incorporation of doctrinal elements into national constitutions) significantly increase gender discrimination in doctrinal policy areas (family law and reproductive autonomy); however, the evidence is mixed for non-doctrinal policy areas. While state-religion relations show no effect on policies concerning violence against women and access to financial resources, the civil liberties domain stands out as an exception, where religious legislation is associated with greater gender discrimination. Nevertheless, proxies used for non-doctrinal policies in TSCS analysis (pay and mobility) corroborate the expectation that religion has little influence on non-doctrinal domains. This dissertation addresses critical gaps in the literature by analyzing variations across multiple policy domains rather than a single issue, examining women’s legal rights across all religious groups, exploring the position of Islam in state governance, and offering domain-specific insights to inform policy reform.
Recommended Citation
Sharmin, Farzana, "God and Gender Parity in Public Policies: the Role of Religion Across Issues and Regimes" (2025). Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations. 8137.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-thesesdissertations/8137
Extent
488 pages
Language
en
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.
Media Type
Text
