Women And The Church

Question 1

What are some ways that men and women aren’t seen as equal in society?

Answer 1

Jobs are being stereotyped. Men get paid 10% more. Men are thought of as stronger. Some countries see women as objects or 2nd class citizens and the women are sold at young ages without their own permission. Women are expected to change their last names to their husbands. Women couldn’t vote for a long time. Men get more job opportunities even if women have more qualifications. Women do better in school and are thought of as smarter. Women used to be accused of being witches throughout history. Men are expected to have no emotions or cry but girls are expected to. Men get payed more. Only 4% of women get executive jobs. Women get fired for being pregnant. Women are scared to walk alone at night but men aren’t. Women are scared of being sexually assaulted by men at night. Sport and clothing expectations are different.

Question 2

What does ordained mean?

Answer 2

Made a priest or bishop in a special ceremony.
In all the Catholic Churches this is known as a sacrament.

Question 3

What is a sacrament?

Answer 3

Holy orders- a visible sign of gods invisible grace.

Question 4

What is patriarchal ?

Answer 4

A way of describing a culture that is dominated and controlled by men.

Question 5

What was the sex discrimination act and why did it happen?

Answer 5

In the past it was normal in Britain for men to work and provide income for their family while women looked after the children and the home.
Over the last 60 years, people’s attitudes to sex have changed significantly, and most people now believe that men and women should have equal opportunities to do the same job.
In 1975, a law was passed called the Sex Discrimination Act.
This law made it illegal for employers to choose someone for a job based on sex.

Question 6

What does the Catholic Church, Church of England and modern world Christians believe about women having higher positions in the church?

Answer 6

In the Catholic Church, women have never been allowed to become Priests, Bishops, Cardinals or the Pope.
However, many Christians argue that the Bible was written in a patriarchal
culture and the first-century views should not be
continued in a modern world where gender equality is highly valued.
In the Church of England, the first female priest was ordained in 1994 and the first female bishop was ordained in 2014

Question 7

Who was the first female bishop?

Answer 7

Reverend Libby Lane

Question 8

What has caused debate and division between Christian’s?

Answer 8

The law does not apply to appointing church leaders, but as attitudes in society have changed the question of whether women should lead churches has caused much debate and division among Christians.

Question 9

1 Corinthians 14. 34-35

Answer 9

“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”

Question 10

1 Corinthians 11. 11-12

Answer 10

“Woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman was made from man, in the same way man is born of woman; and it is God who brings everything into existence.”

Question 11

Genesis 2.18

Answer 11

“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him”

Question 12

What does the story of Adam and Eve say about women?

Answer 12

In Genesis, God creates the first man, Adam. He then created the first woman, Eve, saying: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2.18).
Some people argue that this Bible verse suggests women are inferior to men, because it described them as men’s ‘helpers’, created to stop men from being lonely. Furthermore, when God created Adam and Eve, he warned them not to eat the fruit from one particular tree, but Eve disobeys God by doing so. Eve was the first to sin and then she temped Adam to do the same. Some Christians have interpreted this as showing that women are the weaker sex.

Question 13

What does Paul’s letters say about women?

Answer 13

The missionary Paul wrote many letters to Christians he met on his travels. Thirteen of these letters are included in the Bible. In them, Paul gives his views on women:
“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
(1 Corinthians 14.34-35)
Many Christians believe that Paul was against women leading the Church. However, in the same letter he also wrote:
“Woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman was made from man, in the same way man is born of woman; and it is God who brings everything into existence.” (1 Corinthians 11.11-12)

Question 14

What does the New Testament say about women?

Answer 14

There is no record in the New Testament of Jesus’ views on the roles of men and women, but his attitude towards women was radical for a Jewish man living in the Middle East 2000 years ago. At this time, it was unheard of for a man to discuss religious ideas with a woman. Often men would not even talk to their own wife then they were in public. Jesus surprised his disciples by openly spending time with women, even those who were known to have lived sinful lives.
The first people that Jesus appeared to after his resurrection were women. Jesus told them to spread the message that he was alive. Some Christians think this shows that Jesus viewed women as reliable and trustworthy. If he did not think this, then he would not have trusted them to share the message that would become the basis of Christianity.

Question 15

1 Corinthians 11:3

Answer 15

“But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man,and the head of Christ is God.”
This means that women are the lowest then men above them then Christ above them and finally God is the most important.

Question 16

Tell me about violence against women and girls

Answer 16

• 1 in 3 women around the world experience violence (source. World Health Organization).
• 58% of all women murdered in 2017 were killed by an intimate partner or a family member (source. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2018).
• Around 650 million women across the globe were married before the age of 18 (source. Unicef, 2018).
• Over 200 million women and girls in 30 countries have undergone female genital mutilation (source, Unicef, 2016).
• 71% of all human trafficking involves women and girls - mainly for sexual exploitation (source. UNODC, 2016)

Question 17

Tell me about women’s economic rights

Answer 17

• Women spend at least twice as much time as men on domestic work, and when all work - (paid and unpaid) - is considered, women work longer hours than men (source, The World’s Women, 2015)
• Over 2.7 billion women don’t have the same work opportunities as men, with laws restricting the types of jobs they can do (source. World Bank, 2018).
• In 2018, the estimated global gender pay gap was 22%, with women earning around 78% of what men are paid (source. ILO, 2018).
• Nearly 82 million women around the world don’t have any legal protection against discrimination in the workplace (source, World Policy Analysis Centre,
2017).

Question 18

Tell me about women’s participation and leadership

Answer 18

• In January 2019, there were 11 women serving as Head of State and 10 as Head of Government (source. UN Women, 2019).
• In January 2019, 1 in 5 government ministers around the world were women (source. Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2019).
• Between 1990 and 2019 women made up 2% of mediators, 5% of witnesses and signatories, and 8% of negotiators in major peace processes worldwide (source. Council of Foreign Relations, 2019).
• When women are involved in negotiations the probability of a peace agreement lasting at least two years is increased by 20 per cent, and 15 years by 35 per cent (source. Preventing Conflict, 2015)

Question 19

What is the gender pay gap

Answer 19

22% so women earn 78 percent of what men earn

Question 20

How does women being murdered by partners and family members and being forced into marriage before 18 make them feel?

Answer 20

Like they have to act a certain way and have no control over their own life. Like they are just an object for other people.

Question 21

Basically what does Adam and Eve (genesis) say about women? And what does it mean?

Answer 21

First woman was a helper for a man. God created women so men won’t be lonely. Women were first to sun then influenced men. Eve tried tempting Adam.

Men are more important as they came first. Women are just helpers. Women are lesser as they sinned first.

Question 22

What does it say about how eve was made and how does this relate to the equality of men and women?

Answer 22

Eve was made from Adam’s rib : as she was made second she will always be a lesser being. Some people see this as her being inferior and will always just be Adam’s companion.
Some see this as her being equal as the rib is in the centre. And if god wanted her to be inferior it would have said from the feet of Adam.
Is she were from the head she would be superior but the rib was in the centre.

Question 23

Basically what does Paul’s letter say about women ? And what does it mean?

Answer 23

Women should be silent. Disgraceful and disrespectful for women to talk in churches. Meaning men are controlling women. Making women seem inferior.

“Woman is not in dependent of men nor man is of woman” meaning they are equal.

Question 24

Basically what does the New Testament say about women? What does it mean?

Answer 24

Unheard of for a man to discuss religious ideas with women. Meaning women were excluded.

Jesus had many female followers. To show men and women are important and can express religious ideas.

The first people Jesus appeared to after his resurrection were women. Women could be more reliable or trustworthy. Women could spread the message and be trusted.

Question 25

1 Timothy 2:12

Answer 25

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.”