“Treated as amateurs”: African Women Theologians Ask to Be “taken seriously” in Academia

The Catholic Sister who pursued Justice Ministry at Catholic Theological Union said that it is common for society to disregard arguments posed by women, and that the same can be seen in the way women theologians are treated.

“Whenever a woman brings up a point, people just go over it as if she didn't say anything, but when a man brings it up, more attention is paid to it. As a woman, you're not taken seriously frequently,” she said.

Credit: ACI Africa

“As a woman, you are treated as an amateur dabbling in theology, as though your work does not have the same impact as a male scholar,” Sr. Mumbi said.

She specifically highlighted the challenge of getting positions in academia, noting that African women theologians who are “perceived as controversial” are locked out of opportunities to publish and other platforms to engage with other theologians.

Sr. Mumbi Kigutha. Credit: ACI Africa

“Women are judged differently from men… it might not even be anything that is anti-church or anti-doctrine, but you will still be perceived as controversial,” she said.

Credit: ACI Africa

The Catholic Sister who serves as the President of Friends in Solidarity (FiS), a ministry that supports South Sudanese, lauded the African Women Theologians Conference 2025, underlining the need for more women-centered spaces in the field of theology.

“It is essential to have an African women theologian conference, because even if a general theologian conference was called, with limited spaces, how many spaces do you think women would be given?” she posed, and added, “African women theologians are a minority. They need to create more spaces for other women to engage with them so they can be inspired to also study theology.”

“We must find creative ways for women theologians to do theology, if the traditional routes of practicing theology have been closed to them,” Sr. Mumbi asserted.

Sr. Mumbi Kigutha. Credit: ACI Africa

In her keynote address, Prof. Philomena Mwaura, a lecturer at Kenyan-based Kenyatta University (KU), reiterated Sr. Mumbi’s sentiments and appealed to the Church to take the work of African women theologians seriously.

The widely published don and author of “Theology in the Context of Globalization: African Women’s Response” argued that theological perspectives of women are weighty as they are born of lived experiences, especially their struggles.

Credit: ACI Africa

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“The church must take the theological perspective that has been brought by women seriously,” Prof. Philomena said.

Prof. Philomena Mwaura. Credit: ACI Africa

She added, “Theology from the perspective of women in struggle has very crucial and important insights. This is true of African women's theologies that have been born of the struggle to seek justice for women and men in church and society.”

The church must churn out the gifts and talents of the body of Christ… The church must reach out to the peripheries, listen to the voices of women, and know who we are for inclusion.

Women are already participating in the church. All they need is to be in the structures of the church. As Pope Francis says, there are other leadership roles besides submission.

Prof. Philomena Mwaura. Credit: ACI Africa

The Second African Women Theologians Conference 2025 is themed, “Synodality in Action: Emerging Ecclesiologies, Vitality of Women and Discerning Leadership For The 21st Century”.

Convened by HUC in partnership with Watawa wa Taa (Consecrated Women of Light), the conference is aimed at creating a platform for the voices of African women theologians to be heard in global theological and ecclesial discourse.

Credit: ACI Africa

It is also a way to strengthen and channel the intellectual abilities, leadership, and contributions of African women Religious towards the growth of the Church in Africa and beyond, according to the conveners who wish to create a network of African women scholars committed to the mission of the Church in Africa and beyond.