Women’s Religious Agency in Muslim Communities through Piety Practices and Islamic Learning Spaces

Abstract

This study aims to analyze women’s religious agency in Muslim communities through piety practices and Islamic learning spaces. The study focuses on how Muslim women interpret piety, build religious self-authority, negotiate gender norms, and participate in Islamic learning activities within local and digital communities. This research used a qualitative approach with an interpretive case study design. The study was conducted in Yogyakarta City, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from September to November 2025. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, limited participant observation, and documentation involving Muslim women who actively participated in or managed Islamic learning spaces, female religious teachers, majelis taklim organizers, women da’wah activists, and relevant community figures. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings reveal four main themes: piety as self-discipline and moral self-formation, Islamic learning spaces as sites of confidence and religious knowledge, negotiation of gender norms within family and community life, and digital religious spaces as extensions of women’s agency. These findings show that women’s agency does not only appear through formal leadership or direct resistance, but also through everyday piety, learning participation, ethical reflection, mentoring, and digital religious communication. This study contributes to the understanding of religious agency by positioning piety as a reflective, relational, and contextual process. The findings imply the need for more inclusive Islamic learning spaces that support women’s voices, religious participation, and leadership development.