PATRIARCHAL BARGAINS AND LATENT AVENUES OF SOCIAL-MOBILITY - NUNS IN THE ROMAN-CATHOLIC CHURCH

Despite the classic patriarchy of the Roman Catholic church, American Catholic nuns entered into patriarchal bargains that latently gained t hem access to resources and status within the system. By means of educ ational advancement and professional careers, encouraged by the male h ierarchy as necessary to performing the works of the church, nuns gain ed both informal power in the system and an awareness of their disadva ntaged position. This article analyzes the shifts that have occurred i n these bargains during the past 40 years in terms of the submerged ne tworks of feminist consciousness that have existed in Catholic convent s for decades. The article concludes with a description of the current crisis occurring within religious orders as they experience a decline in membership and rapidly increasing median ages of members.