In Buddhism, people are picking and choosing what parts of old religious scriptures to follow, which combines cultural prejudices and religious practices, and opinions from the patriarchy. This makes a Buddhist woman question her spiritual beliefs and her place within her religion.
One of the clearest examples of this patriarchal control is the continued refusal to allow women to go through the Buddhist ordination in many Asian countries, such as Thailand, Myanmar, and Nepal.
A bhikkhuni is a Buddhist nun, a woman fully ordained in Buddhist monasticism. As of 2025, powerful groups of male monks continue to actively block the full return of this status for nuns. They claim the proper way to ordain women died out centuries ago and simply cannot be restarted.
However, both historical records and Buddhist scholars have proven them wrong, clearly showing that fully ordained nuns did exist in the Buddha’s time.
While the Buddha taught that everyone, regardless of gender, could reach enlightenment, traditional ideas about men and women slowly crept into Buddhist teachings and writings over time. Some interpretations of Buddhist texts have been used to suggest women are less worthy than men.
For a deeply religious woman who feels called to be a nun, this means she’s often denied the same respect, extreme training, and support that monks receive, simply because of her gender.
Find similar articles on religion here
The frustration of seeing the path to enlightenment, supposedly open to all, is made harder for you based purely on your birth. In certain readings of some scriptures, they even talk about “five obstacles”, which suggests that women can’t reach certain high spiritual roles.
What’s even more disheartening is the belief, found in supposedly changed scriptures, that simply being born a woman can be called “bad karma”. This tells women they should hope to be reborn as a man to make better spiritual progress.
Beyond the direct religious rules, old cultural traditions in many Asian countries have been blended with Buddhist practice. Women are often praised for their roles as upāsikā (lay supporters), donating food and money to monks, or managing households to free male family members for spiritual pursuits.
While these are valuable contributions, women are frequently seen as secondary, supporting persons. This expectation in our society can significantly limit women’s individual wants for a monastic life.
In countries ruled by strong governments, especially those that want to control or promote religious Sinicization, the existing male power within Buddhist groups can be used by the government to oppress women even more.
Nuns are often seen as guardians of culture and history, but they have become targets. Governments force them to give up their robes, send them to re-education camps, and watch them closely. This takes away their basic human rights and religious freedom. The unfairness that is present within the religion is tragically used by outside forces, making life even harder for women caught in the middle.
Even with these challenges, women are fighting back. Feminist Buddhist scholars, practitioners, and activists are diligently re-examining ancient texts, challenging unfair interpretations, and constantly pushing for real change within their faith
