2A Buddhism - Section A: Buddhism, gender and sexuality — AQA A-Level Religious Studies

This topic asks how Thai Buddhism's thinking on gender and sexuality has been shaped by three social and historical pressures. First, tourism expanded sharply after the 1980s, bringing Western lifestyles and values into contact with Thai Buddhist norms and prompting debate about how monks and lay Buddhists should respond. Second, roles of men and women changed in wider Thai society outside religion, for example through greater female participation in education and paid work, which raised questions about women's place in religious life. Third, secular Thai governments have granted women legal rights, and these rights create tension or dialogue with religious custom. A strong answer links each factor to a specific development in Buddhist thinking rather than listing them separately.

This topic covers the debate that preceded the revival of a Theravada order of nuns in the late 1990s. Learners should understand that the issue concerned whether women could again receive full ordination in the Theravada tradition, which had long lacked a continuous line of nuns. The debate involved arguments about the validity of reviving ordination, the role of supporting monks and existing nuns, and the authority of tradition. A strong answer recognises that the revival was contested and that the late 1990s is the specified period, and it distinguishes the debate from the later outcome. Focus on why the question was disputed and which groups took part, rather than on unrelated Buddhist traditions.

Theravada Buddhism preserves an order of nuns, the bhikkhuni sangha, whose lineage tradition holds was disrupted, so debates continue about whether women can be fully ordained today. Dhammananda, a Thai scholar and nun, works to restore female ordination in Thailand and became abbess of Songdhammakalyani Monastery, which her mother Voramai Kabilsingh founded. Sakyadhita, the International Association of Buddhist Women, campaigns across traditions for women's ordination, education and equality. Candidates should know the arguments: supporters cite the Buddha's acceptance of women's ordination and the value of equal access to the sangha; opponents cite lineage rules and the authority of the Thai monastic hierarchy. The question asks candidates to explain these continuing debates with reference to both named examples.

This topic asks you to compare how different Buddhist traditions and communities reason about celibacy, marriage, homosexuality and transgender issues. Begin with the shared framework: the Third Precept on sexual misconduct, the monastic rule of celibacy for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, and the lay ethic of mutual consent, fidelity and non-harm. Then show divergence. Theravada monasticism treats celibacy as a condition of ordination, while many Theravada lay communities accept marriage as a social good. Japanese Pure Land traditions historically allowed married clergy, so celibacy is not universal. On homosexuality, some teachers cite the precept's emphasis on non-harm and consent to argue acceptance, while others appeal to traditional textual norms to counsel restraint. On transgender issues, positions range from welcome in inclusive sanghas to caution grounded in traditional gender roles.