Gender And Society Flashcards
“Should official Christian teaching resist current secular views of gender?” Essay
A: Mulieris dignitatem: different but equal. Liberal approach to the bible: a product of the human mind, not the perfect word of God. Seen through contradiction - Reuther. Look at Jesus’ influence to continually update.
CA: Mulieris dignitatem expresses natural gender old. Fundamentally tied up with the order of creation Bible could e the direct word of God
E: Christianity has lead to years of sexism… examples.
A: Foucault - studied Ancient Greeks, sexuality cannot be dinfined as binary. Church controls sexual practices too much. Freud- neurosis, Fry - child sexual assault. Must be changed
CA: children are happiest when bought up by a man and a women. Christianity sets high standards of moral behaviour. Can lead to instability
E: Christianity is declining, if they want Christianity to appeal to future generation, should upgrade its teachings
“Christians must challenge secular views on gender roles” essay
A: bible was made by humans, contradictions emphasises - Reuther. Example = St. Paul teachings on women. Catholic teachings imply men are superior, since made by humans during the time shouldn’t challenge but update
CA: Mulieris dignatatem: order of creation, embodiment of Mary, raising children = blessing. God intended roles. natural
E: Dangerous for society: Eve made from Adams rib. Many women feel unfulfilled staying at home looking after children, they discourage women from getting jobs
A: Foucault - studied Ancient Greeks, sexuality cannot be defined as binary.
CA: Shouldn’t challenge as Jesus told to spread. Straying from God’s intended plan. Have a mission to spread
E: Less than 50% are Christian. Should not challenge if they want to appeal to future generations
‘for the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the Church’ Critically asses the idea this teaching for 21st century family life” essay
A: Simone de Beauvoir (the second sex): any woman that accepts their role is living in a full consciousness. “one is not born but becomes woman”. Men are natural leaders is a social construct. So not useful. Women repress themselves
CA: Should be respected as men and women are intrinsically different. Mulieris dignatatem: different but equal. Women are taking on the role of the Virgin Mary. Women should be proud to have the special role of giving birth. The way that men still have specific roles. Theotokos - doesn’t make them less than men
E: damaging as this view has lead to rout history as women are seen as inferior and subservient to men. Starting from Adam and Eve. Blamed for the sin of humanity.
Gender and society scholars & arguments
Not feminists :(
- Mulieris dignatatem: Pope John Paul II - men and women are different but equal, acknowledges they have complemetary characteristics. For the female personality there are two different dimensions; virginity and motherhood. The unity of a man and women mirrors the unity of God in the trinity. The Fall is symbolic. Misogyny and sexism is the result of sin. Women are “naturally disposed” to motherhood. Each new birth links to Mary’s motherhood. (Assumption that parenthood involves one man and one woman)
- Halkes: Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God - Owen must learn to develop their gift of care and men must give up their privileged sense of entitlement.
- St.Paul: women should remain silence in church. Women should be subservient
- Aquinas: described women as ‘defective’
- Protestants: emphasis on the order of creation: women’s primary role is to be a mother and nurture new life. Rejects homosexuality, divorce as leads to better educational outcomes for the children.
- John 10:10: when a women fulfils what she was created for and her role within marriage,motherhood enables a women to live life to the fullest.
Feminists
- Focault: sexuality cannot be defined in binary terms, but covers a range of sexual practices. When he studied the Ancient Greeks
- Friedan: Women who played the role of a dutiful wife and homemaker were far from fulfilled, but bored - this gave women courage to abandon the traditional expectation.
- de Beauvoir: the mindset of men and women need changing. Women suffer from false consciousness, a view a person has of themself. False-consciousness lead to society’s gender typical roles being supported. There are no essential female gender characteristics. Materna instincts are due to biology. There is no maternal instinct, how a mother feels about their child depends on the social aspect. Women are socially pressured into motherhood.
- Daly: Women’s abilities and knowledge is superior to that of men.
- Fiorenza: There are a number of significant female leaders in the church. Uncovering the early history of Christianity reveals a radical challenge y current Church teachings and organisation
- Paul: all people are one in Christ.
- Ruether: there are verses that are in favour of equality
- Sartre: existentialist
- O’Brien: argued that motherhood can be positive thing if women are in control of their choice to become a mother.
“To what extent of the family is entirely culturally determined”
A: Simone de Beauvoir: the second sex - believes that women repress themselves living in a false consciousness. This false consciousness has lead to society’s gender typical roles being supported. Mother has a maternal instinct due to biology. Women are socially pressured into mother hood
CA: Mulieris dignatatem: follows the order of creation. Women were given the punishment of childbirth, men had to slave away working.The father is indebted to the mother as asking a child is one of God’s blessings.
E: However the argument for the order of creation relies on the fact of a historical fall, if not has just lead to discrimination of women throughout Christianity. Women have said that they feel unfulfilled and bored just being a mother. Surely if it was something rooted into us women would be feeling fulfilled as it being their purpose
A: Focault: argues that there is no essential gender roles in society. Studied in Ancient Greece and concluded that gender is not binary and is actually more complex than Christianity sets out. Therefore it may be culturally determined as there is no fixed gender role -many sexual practices
CA:
E: Satre, John Locke: Locke - we are born a blank slate. Satre - we give a purpose to ourselves he also says that if we were all to have a purpose it relies on the fact that there is a God and this is something that todays society especially des not except with the UK being less than 50% Christian. Motherhood is not necessarily a negative thing
