Article published on the website of the Society of Jesus

The year 2023 marks the second year of the Commission on the Role and Responsibilities of Women in the Society of Jesus. In the past two years, the Women’s Commission has conducted various activities to respond to the call of Father General Arturo Sosa, to:

1. evaluate the appropriation of General Congregation 34’s Decree 14, “Jesuits and the Situation of Women in Church & Civil Society”;
2. evaluate the participation and position of women and the structures of collaboration at all levels in institutions of the Society of Jesus and its apostolic works;
3. and make recommendations to the different levels of leadership in the Society of Jesus to strengthen the mission of the Society with the active participation of women.

Between April 2022 and January 2023, the Commission, with guidance from the Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC) of the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, developed a global survey aimed to provide insights into the following questions: how are women’s roles and responsibilities within Jesuit institutions and activities perceived by women and men, including religious sisters and Jesuits; how are these perceptions about women translated into current practices and ways of moving forward in Jesuit institutions; and what recommendations can the Women’s Commission present to the Superior General of the Jesuits to enhance further engagement of women in Jesuit institutions.