Gender and society Flashcards
Ephesians 5:22
“Wives submit yourselves to your husbands as you do the Lord”
Ann Oakley on motherhood?
- Sociologist
- Interviewed women about motherhood and housework
- Women’s feelings that they must become a mother isn’t biological; it’s socialised into them
- ‘Maternal instinct’ doesn’t exist
- Women may feel powerless at childbirth because medical experts (often men) treat them as “cases”
Simone de Beauvoir on motherhood
Motherhood forces women to suspend their own lives and interests, leaving them unable to develop as individuals. They’re then left empty and purposeless when their children leave
What does Simone de Beauvoir say about motherhood?
‘One is not born, but rather becomes a woman.’
What is Mulieris Dignitatem?
- Papel encyclical on women’s rights. Written in 1988 by Pope John Paul II
- Catholic position on feminist issues clarified
- Created to defend Catholic Church from allegations of being sexism
What does Mulieris Dignitatem teach?
- Men and women have different but complementary qualities
- A woman’s role should be respected
- Jesus wouldn’t have existed without Mary
- ‘Women are naturally disposed to motherhood’ physically and psychologically as a gift a God
- Men owe a special debt to a woman. Everyone enters the world through a woman
- Pain in childbirth allows women insight into Christ’s suffering
- Motherhood is passive
Galatians 3:28
‘you are all one in Jesus Christ’
What did Aristotle believe about women?
- Women are naturally inferior
- Men should rule and women submit
- Based on faulty science. Aristotle justified this because men can produce semen while women were simply passive in reproduction
- View influenced societal views greatly
What did Plato believe about women?
- Women are inferior to men, don’t have a soul, and aren’t created directly by God
- However, women should be treated fairly, not as possessions of men
- Being born a woman is an unfortunate consequence for not living your life as a man correctly
What did Aquinas believe about women?
- Significantly influenced by Aristotle
- Women are less intelligent/strong (which was true in Aquinas’ time, since women weren’t educated)
- Women have a special place in heaven with Mary, despite the fact that they’re defective
What gender differences are there in wedding vows?
- Wife says ‘to love, cherish and to obey’
- Wife says ‘I give thee my troth’ while husband says ‘I plight thee my troth’
Genesis 1:27
‘In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’
How can you reinterpret Ephesians 5:22?
- It’s frequently taken out of context
- It was written to stop men having concubines and to protect women from men taking their virginity and then leaving them destitute
- The men are made to promise that they’ll love their wife as Jesus loves the Church
What does the second genesis story claim?
- Adam was created first
- Eve created as a helper from Adam’s rib, an afterthought
Who ordains females? Who doesn’t?
- Church of England do
- Catholics don’t
Why doesn’t the Catholic Church ordain females?
- It’s claimed that women shouldn’t take roles representing Christ (like Holy Communion) because Jesus only had male disciples
- God also chose Jesus to be a man
What is Christian egalitarianism?
Mutual respect/equality between husband and wife
What is liberal feminism?
View that men and women should be equal in their rights and opportunities in society
What is radical feminism?
View that equal rights isn’t enough to guarantee equality because it doesn’t undo the cultural impact of years of oppression
What is gender traditionalism?
Gender roles are natural and humans are best following them
How does Augustine interpret genesis in terms of gender?
- A man by himself is made imago dei, a woman isn’t
- Only when combined with her husband can a woman be made imago dei
What does St Paul believe about the Genesis story?
It means that women shouldn’t have authority over men and can only be saved by becoming mothers
What does Aquinas say about submission of wives to husbands?
It’s for their own good because men are wiser and more rational than women
What is feminist biblical criticism?
Feminist approach to the Bible
