Gender & Society

Are men and women equal in today’s society?

No - whilst progress has been made, significant inequalities prissiest in areas like economic opportunities, political representation, and access to resources

• e.g. women globally earn less than men, and there’s a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic and care work

What do Christians believe to be the role of men and women within the family?

Partnership where both men and women contribute equally, with a focus on love and respect within the family

• however, traditional Christian interpretations emphasises specific roles based on biblical passages leading to beliefs about men as the head of the household and women as homemakers

Are men and women equal within the Christian family?

Within Christianity the question of equality between men and women in the family is complex and debated

• many believe in the fundamental equality of all humans, in the eyes of God, there are also varying views on their roles within the family and the church

What are the 3 perspectives to the relationship between men and women and gender roles?

• men are superior to women (misogynist)

• men and women are of equal value (feminist)

• women are superior to men (misandrist)

What is a misogynist?

a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women

What is a feminist?

an advocate of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes; a person who supports feminism

What is a misandrist?

a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against men

Which Scholars take a misogynistic perspective?

Plato, Aristotle and Aquinas - described women as ‘defective’

Which Scholars take a misandrist perspective?

Mary Daly - patriarchy in Church has hidden women’s superior knowledge

What is the contemporary consensus about Gender?

it is artificial and misleading to assign characteristics to genders and not necessary to identify with the biological identity you have

What was the first-wave of feminism?

beginning of the twentieth century - focused on equal rights for women

• e.g. right to vote

What was the second-wave of feminism?

1960s - challenged patriarchy and pressed for women to have rights over themselves, not just to exist as homemakers; the result was developments in sexual health

What was the third-wave of feminism?

1990s - explores gender roles and identities; women need to change the approach they take to themselves, making sure they don’t conform to the stereotype of ‘white heterosexual woman from the west’

• Christians often accused of being slow to respond

Why does Christianity struggle on their thoughts on gender roles?

• some accepted women leaders

• some Christians still accused of supporting a patriarchal society

• contemporary Christians seem unsure on how to respond to new issues

What does the story of creation say about gender roles?

men and women were designed to work alongside each other in the family but in different roles

• contemporary Christians - Bible should be read in the context of the time

What is the scripture Ephesians 5:22-33?

instructions for Christian households - traditional outlook

• wives should submit to their husbands

• husband is the head of his wife

• husband’s leadership is like the leadership of Christ to the Church

• husbands should love their wives like Christ loved the Church

What does the Hierarchy of Men, Women and Christ look like?

What are the positives of the Hierarchy of Men, Women and Christ?

• provides a clear, basic structure of roles in the church

• shows Christ as the overall protector of all people

• men and women are equal in their love and protection from Christ

What are the negatives of the Hierarchy of Men, Women and Christ?

• assumes heterosexual relationships are universal

• toxic masculinity

• hierarchy is outdated in modern society

• men given more power

How does Genesis 2 present Men and Women as unequal?

Adam is created first and Eve is created from a part of Adam - ‘helper’

How does the role of Eve present Men and Women as unequal?

Eve was the first sinner

• punishment - pain in childbirth & husband will “rule over you”

How does Augustine present Men and Women as unequal?

interprets that a man by himself contains the imago dei, but a woman does not

• only when combined with a husband as his helper can a woman reach the image of God

How does St Paul present Men and Women as unequal?

states that because Eve sinned first - women should not have authority over a man and can be saved through becoming mothers

(1 Timothy 2:12):

• “I do not permit a women to teach or to assume authority over a man”

• “…But women will be saved through childbearing”

How does Galatians 3:28 present Men and Women as equal?

“for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (salvation)

How does Ephesians 5:21 present Men and Women as equal?

submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ

How does 1 Corinthians 11:12 present Men and Women as equal?

For as woman was made from man, so man is not born of woman. And all things are of God

How does Genesis 1:26-27 present Men and Women as equal?

then God said, “let us make mankind in our image after our likeness”

Why is motherhood so significant within Christianity?

the ultimate purpose/goal for women according to the Church

• “go on and multiple”

• example of Mary

What was Mulieris Dignitatem 18-19?

1988: letter of Pope John Paul II - emphasis on the respect for women; a respect that is mirrored by Mary, without whom are Christ-event would not have happened

What does Mulieris Dignitatem 18-19 state about the relationship between men and women?

“he owes a special debt to the women”

What does Pope John Paul II ultimately say about the relationship between men and women?

• parenthood may seem equal, but men need to give special consideration to the woman who has brought life

• women deserve special respect

• equal rights can be achieve once the important role that women play is recognised and celebrated

What is the Fundamentalist Protestant traditionalist approach to the role of a woman?

Ephesians passage read in a literal sense - emphasise the role of women as wives and as a mother

• her primary role is to create a home suitable for the husband

What is the Liberal approach to the role of a woman?

removes the idea of motherhood from the definition of women

• third-wave feminism - understands gender roles in less rigid terms

• Mary might be a role model, but not for everyone; just like Peter wouldn’t be a typical role model for all men

Why can motherhood be defined as liberating?

• becoming a mother fulfils the ultimate potential of being a woman

• practices their skills of nurturing, patience, feeding, care and compassion

Why can motherhood be defined as liberating according to Mulieris Dignitatem (1988)?

• motherhood gives women the opportunity to fulfil their potential in the creation and nurturing of another human being

• opportunity to develop their best characteristics and gain a new and dignified status in the family and the community

Why can motherhood be defined as restricting according to Simone de Beauvoir?

• motherhood forces a woman to suspend her own interests and personality in order to take care of her children

• leaves women crushed, unable to develop as individuals

• left empty and without purpose once their children grow up and leave home

Why can motherhood be defined as restricting according to Ann Oakley?

• women’s feeling that she needs to become a mother is not biological but is entirely the result of socialisation - no such thing as a ‘maternal instinct’

• women feel powerless during childbirth

• describes the frustration that women feel when they have to stay at home whilst their children are young

How is labelling motherhood as either ‘liberating’ or ‘restricting’ unsuccessful?

fails to take account that many different facets of parenthood - uniqueness of each mother-and-child relationship

What are 5 family types?

• nuclear family

• extended family

• blended family

• single-parent family

• same-sex family

What is the ideal Catholic family?

Nuclear family

• church condemns cohabitation

• church provides support to prevent relationship breakdowns

• motherhood ‘as a career choice’ should be celebrated as much as any other career choice

What is the ideal family type according to Traditional/Fundamental Christians?

emphasis the importance of replicating family seen in the Bible - heterosexual & married

• accuse feminists of changing idea of love

• Biblical models of marriage leads to support for struggling married couples int he community and a more suitable society

What is the ideal family type according to Liberal Christians?

accept that the traditional view of the family is not a reflection of the way people are made

• if a homosexual couple want to have children then it accepts that there will be loving families with same-sex parents

• Jesus himself welcomed those who did not fully conform to society; love needs to remain at the centre

What is the ideal family type according to Sociologists?

idea of family is not predominately religious and is more focused on culture

• Christians should welcome any family type within modern society

What does it mean to describe the family as a microcosm of society?

the family acts as a small-scale, representative model of the larger society

• idea of the family will be entirely determined by culture - e.g. same-sex couples marriage passed in 2014

• Christians job to decide on how they react to what a family is

What did Pope Francis allow in 2023?

Priests can bless same-sex relationships

Why is Divorce not permissible in the Catholic Church?

“a valid marriage is a sacramental union by God that man cannot break”