Beyond the Religious/Secular Binary Trap: Keeping the Focus on Gender Equality

Abstract

In a global context of deep ideological, political, social and economic polarisations, it is unsurprising that fault lines exist in Western aid circles on how to engage with the role of religion in relation to gender equality. The question remains pertinent as ever: how can external actors support local actors in their struggles for gender justice and women’s rights in countries where religion and tradition are instrumentalised for political agendas?