Gender in Infernalism

Gender (Fengese: 性別, : xìngbié, lit. "difference in personas") is a major topic of discussion in Infernalism. The religion codifies gender into a of femininity and masculinity and assigns s to both. This distinction has played a crucial role in defining the social, legal, political, spiritual, and cosmological role of people of either gender (and indeed those identifying beyond it) in the Pyrosphere across history.

Matriarchy in Infernalism
Fundamentally, Infernalist perceptions on gender can be characterized as. The creator deity of the faith, the Mother Phoenix, is held as the Allmother responsible for the creation and symbolic birth of both the physical universe and all Brilliant life within it, doctrinally enshrining the role of motherhood as sacred and thus imparting spiritual and cultural significance to women. Infernalist teaching posits the human being to be a dualistic communion between the feminine inner light responsible for imparting consciousness and spiritual awareness onto the masculine outer host representing the flawed and animalistic universe - exemplifying the female role as a dominant one responsible for tempering the crass nature of men as interpreted by the religion. This assignment of spiritual roles is not merely symbolical, as Infernalist doctrine confirms in no uncertain terms that people belonging to either gender are naturally attuned to personas associated with their respective genders (feminine or masculine) - this would be gender's namesake in the Fengese language. While several formative figures in Infernalist history have been men - two of the Apostles, Zhaofu and Tianyan, especially - female predominancy in Infernalism has generally been the norm, with very few exceptions.

In effect, this strong emphasis on the significance and vitality of the female sex in Infernalism has elevated women to authority across all levels of Infernalist society. Even when not directly encoded in either canonical or civil law, it is considered normal that females take an authoritative role in relationships and families due to cultural perceptions of their role as providers and nurturers, deviations from this model historically viewed as eccentric by Infernalist norms. This has extended to leadership positions in communities, politics, business, and military, additionally bolstered by the Infernalist position of inherent feminine Brilliance. Traditionally, women's roles were that of leader, thinker, and custodian while men's were aligned more towards menial and "active" roles, though the perhaps contradictory view of both women and men as warriors has historically led to a muddling of gender roles in combat scenarios. While legally stratified gender roles are largely abolished with the later debates of the Egalitarian Controversy and the confirmation of gender egalitarianism through the 1810 Edict of Catholic Cognizance, relevant societal expectations and norms have persisted even in the modern day.

Women are considered as the head of the household in Infernalism, manifesting in Infernalist law in the concept of hùmǔ (戶母, lit. "mother of the household"), where the oldest female of the household is viewed as the "matron", traditionally holding legal privilege over the property of the household (including slaves) and exercising authority over her dependents, from autocratic privileges over her husband and children, lessening to positions of mentorship and esteemed status when reaching one's extended family. Inheritance is, prioritizing female heirs over male heirs in cases where is applicable. In accordance with this, while both parties to a marriage keep their surnames, their offspring will take their surnames from their mother's family. Outside the domestic sphere, leadership roles in the clerical hierarchy (which often translates to political leadership given the theory of magocracy) were historically female-only. Across most of the Pyrosphere before the Egalitarian confirmation, only women could serve as inquisitors, while men were restricted to menial assisting roles as Novitiates, if even allowed in the religious hierarchy in the first place. Even now, the paramount seat of the faith - the Scion of the Divine Phoenix Ascendant - is female-only, with even the notion of Scionic egalitarianism being heretical as per Patriarchalism.