Gender, power and religion

Dr Kathleen McPhillips is looking into the difficult issue of gendered violence in religious organisations in Australia and globally. As a sociologist of religion, gender and mental health, Kathleen has been investigating the impacts of child sexual abuse and adult sexual abuse on survivors, communities and in responses from institutions.

Kathleen is a world expert in public inquiries into religion and sexual abuse. From 2013 to 2014 Kathleen attended the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry held in Newcastle and heard evidence from authorities in the Catholic Church about why they did not report incidents of child abuse by local priests, to the police. From 2014 to 2017 Kathleen attended many public cases of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse across Australia. As a landmark inquiry, it has become a major source of data and research on understanding the causes and impacts of the abuse of children.

Kathleen has a wealth of experience and insight into the factors that caused sexual abuse in religious organisations, and the catastrophic impacts on individuals, their families and communities. Her work in trauma theory and the sociology of gender and institutions places her in a unique position to understand and analyse this area and she has worked extensively with survivors to build information on perpetrator movements and outcomes of institutional responses.

From 2021-2024 Kathleen co-authored the International Survey of Catholic Women which is the largest global survey of Catholic women ever undertaken - Key Findings and Recommendations of the International Survey of Catholic Women. The survey examines the status of women in religious organisations and the main report published in 2023 provided insights and recommendations for change regarding the status of women in the Catholic Church.

Kathleen is currently working with international researchers to build a wider picture of the sexual and spiritual abuse of Catholic women religious, where there is little research and evidence. She is also working with colleagues from the UK investigating minority religions and their responses to cases of child sexual abuse. Closer to home, Kathleen leads the Hunter Outreach project which is a collaboration with researchers and survivors of Church based child sexual abuse to bring information on resources and support services to survivors across the Hunter region.

Kathleen’s work on religious organisations also looks closely at the relationship between religious groups and the state and the various and common claims to religious freedom that are made. She looks closely at how religious organisations act as a ‘state within a state’ and have their own laws, rules and ethics, and what happens when these laws contradict the laws of the land. Her book in this area The End of Religion (2022) addresses key concerns regarding the relationship between gendered violence and religion and the state.

Kathleen is a member of two research centres at the University of Newcastle. She is Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of Violence in which she leads the Interdisciplinary Research Trauma Network which brings together researchers working in different fields of trauma including history, sociology, criminology, social work, public advocacy, law and psychiatry. This has produced a very rich conversation in a number of different forums. Kathleen is also a member of the Centre for Society, Health and Care Research.