Dr Tracy McEwan
Casual Research Assistant
School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci
Career Summary
Biography
Dr Tracy McEwan is a theologian and sociologist of religion and gender at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Her doctoral research explored the religious identity and participation of Generation X (Gen X) Catholic women in Australia. She is co-chair of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) Women and Religion unit, a member of the WATAC (Women and the Australian Church) executive and is the women’s caucus representative for the Australian Association for the Study of Religion (AASR).
Dr McEwan is part of the research team for the International Survey of Catholic Women (ISCW). The ISCW is the largest global survey of Catholic women ever underken. It was commissioned by the international organisation Catholic Women Speak (CWS) as part of the call for submissions to the 2021-2024 Synod of Bishops and explores the concerns, insights, and experiences of Catholic women involving church reform and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr McEwan presented the global report, International Survey of Catholic Women (ISCW): Analysis and Report of Findings to Pope Francis on international Women’s Day 2023 (available here: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1468189).
Dr McEwan holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Theology) and Master of Theology from the University of Newcastle and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Mathematics) from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Research expertise
Dr McEwan’s expertise in theology, sociology, and mathematics enable her to apply various empirical methods of analysis of analysis to diverse contexts. She has proficiency in social research methodology, including the uses, strengths and limitations of various research strategies and approaches to conducting social inquiry. She is skilled in the design of social survey research tools, and the analysis, interpretation and reporting of both qualitative and quantitative data. An experienced and capable computer programmer, Dr McEwan is proficient with the software packages SPSS, Excel, NVIVO, REDcap and R.
Research collaborations
Dr McEwan is open to connecting regarding research and speaking opportunities. Her research, writing and presenting interests include: Catholic theology and ecclesiology; women in Catholicism; gender based violence; Church participation, generations and life stage.
Research leadership
Dr McEwan’s recent projects include: the International Survey of Catholic Women (ISCW), a survey of more than 17,000 Catholic women from 104 countries and the podcast “Australian Women Preach” which celebrates the diverse talents of woman preachers in Australia.
Dr McEwan has recent publications in Religions, Religion and Gender, Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, Australian Journal of Social Issues, and The Conversation.
Research outreach
Dr McEwan is an excellent communicator who shares her research and experience with a wide range of audiences worldwide. She is an invited speaker and presenter on a broad range of topics related to her research.
Research awards
In 2018, as the NCLS Research Summer Scholar, Dr McEwan used the results from the 2016 National Church Life Survey to explore how different generations of Catholic church-attending women are living and enacting their Catholic identity.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy in Theology, University of Newcastle
- Master of Theology with Distinction, University of Newcastle
Keywords
- Catholic Church
- Feminist theology
- church participation
- domestic violence
- gender violence
- lived religion
- sociology
- women
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 441014 | Sociology of religion | 30 |
| 441006 | Sociological methodology and research methods | 40 |
| 441010 | Sociology of gender | 30 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Chapter (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
McEwan T, Sterland S, McPhillips K, 'Participation and Engagement in Catholic Parish Life in Australia: Examining the Impact and Importance of Cultural and Linguistic Factors', Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion. A Diversity of Paradigms, Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands. 162-188 (2020) [B1]
|
Nova | ||||||
Journal article (7 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
Pepper M, Powell R, McEwan T, 'The Impact of Marriage Norms and Gender on Anglican Clergy Actions in Response to Domestic Violence', Religions, 14 730-730 [C1]
|
Nova | |||||||||
| 2023 |
Foote W, Mason J, Conley Wright A, McEwan T, 'Collaboration between Australian peak bodies and governments in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic: new ways of interacting', Australian Journal of Social Issues, (2023) [C1]
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Nova | |||||||||
| 2022 |
McPhillips K, McEwan T, Death J, Richards K, 'Does Gender Matter? An Analysis of the Role and Contribution of Religious Socialisation Practices in the Sexual Abuse of Boys and Girls in the Catholic Church', Religion and Gender, 12 52-77 (2022) [C1]
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Nova | |||||||||
| 2022 |
McPhillips K, McEwan T, Death J, Richards K, 'Does Gender Matter?', Religion and Gender, 12 52-77 (2022) [C1]
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| 2022 |
McPhillips K, McEwan T, 'The Sexual Economies of Clericalism: Women Religious and Gendered Violence in the Catholic Church', Religions, 13 916-916 [C1]
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Nova | |||||||||
| 2018 |
McEwan T, 'Changing patterns of religious practice and belief among church-attending catholic women in australia', Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 31 186-215 (2018) [C1] In Australia, women currently outnumber men in both Catholic congregations and the Catholic workforce. However, for complex reasons, the Mass attendance rates of women are declini... [more] In Australia, women currently outnumber men in both Catholic congregations and the Catholic workforce. However, for complex reasons, the Mass attendance rates of women are declining. In opposition to this general shift away from church participation, a small yet significant group of Catholic women are still engaging in parish life. Using quantitative analysis to examine data collected in the 2006, 2011 and 2016 National Church Life Survey (NCLS), this article will explore the private and public practices, orthodoxy, and religious salience of Catholic church-attending women in Australia. It will consider reasons for an overall reduction in these measures of religiosity in successive generations and investigate apparent anomalies that find younger Catholic church-attending women possessing measures of religious practice that contest the notion of a uniform generational decline in Catholic women¿s religiosity.
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Nova | |||||||||
| 2017 |
McEwan T, McPhillips K, 'Re-framing religious identity and belief: Gen X women and the catholic church', Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 30 205-226 (2017) [C1] Gen X women grew up in the Catholic Church in the climate of cultural and theological change brought about by the Second Vatican Council. Given the Catholic Church¿s attempt to mo... [more] Gen X women grew up in the Catholic Church in the climate of cultural and theological change brought about by the Second Vatican Council. Given the Catholic Church¿s attempt to move into the modern world, it might be expected that such changes would result in an increase of participation by women in the Church. In fact, the opposite has happened and the participation of Gen X Catholic women in Church life is at substantially low levels. This article reviews the current research in this area, and seeks to contextualise the experiences of Gen X women in the broader social changes that have characterised late modernity. It contends that current methods of examining the religious identity of Gen X Catholic women fail to understand the complexity of reasons for non-participation. Shifting the research focus beyond a simple model of church participation will shed important light on the sociology of Catholicism and religious identity in Australia.
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Nova | |||||||||
| Show 4 more journal articles | |||||||||||
Report (3 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
Foote W, Alston M, Betts D, McEwan T, 'Women's leadership and a community 'saving itself': learning from disasters, health and well-being impacts of the Northern Rivers flood 2022', University of Newcastle (2024)
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| 2023 |
McEwan T, McPhillips K, Pepper M, 'International Survey of Catholic Women: Analysis and Report of Findings', Catholic Women Speak (CWS), 88 (2023) [N1]
|
Nova | ||||||
| 2023 |
McEwan T, McPhillips K, Pepper M, 'International Survey of Catholic Women: Analysis of Responses from Australia', Catholic Women Speak, 83 (2023)
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Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 1 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $25,000 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20241 grants / $25,000
An interdisciplinary investigation of gendered violence in communities of Catholic women religious (CWR) in Germany and Australia$25,000
Funding body: University of Newcastle
| Funding body | University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Doctor Kathleen McPhillips, Magdalena Huerten, Ute Leimgruber, Doctor Tracy McEwan |
| Scheme | Australia-Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme (DAAD) |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2024 |
| Funding Finish | 2025 |
| GNo | G2301416 |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | Y |
News
News • 12 Sep 2023
Australian Catholic women echo the global call for church reform
Australian Catholic women are echoing their international sisters’ hunger for church reform, new research has shown.
News • 6 Mar 2023
Catholic women’s cries for change to be heard at the Vatican on IWD
The most extensive global survey of Catholic women ever undertaken, detailing experiences of women in the church, will be presented by Australian researchers in-person at the Vatican this International Women’s Day.
Dr Tracy McEwan
Positions
Casual Research Assistant
School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci
College of Human and Social Futures
Research Assistant
School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci
College of Human and Social Futures
Contact Details
| tracy.mcewan@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Mobile | 0425 269491 |
NEWS • Sep 12.2023
Australian Catholic women echo the global call for church reform
New analysis of the world-first International Survey of Catholic Women has found Australian Catholic women are echoing their international sisters’ hunger for church reform.
NEWS • Mar 06.2023
Catholic women’s cries for change to be heard at the Vatican on IWD
The most extensive global survey of Catholic women ever undertaken, detailing experiences of women in the church, will be presented by Australian researchers in-person at the Vatican this International Women’s Day.