gender and society

Question 1

Ephesians 5:22-33 (demonstrates male superiority)

Answer 1

“Wives, submit to your own husbands as you do the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church … Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church

Question 2

who says women are defects of men

Answer 2

aquinas

Question 3

aquinas 3 main points on women

Answer 3

• women are defective
• should veil - men dont need to because they are closer to god - directly under jesus
• man is active in reproduction

Question 4

genesis 2 quote

Answer 4

“i will make a helper suitable for him”

Question 5

who says wives submit to y our husbands

Answer 5

st paul

Question 6

who wrote humanae vitae

Answer 6

pope paul vi

Question 7

who wrote mulieris dignatateum

Answer 7

pope john paul ii

Question 8

why does mary daly not think mary is a good role model

Answer 8

impossible - virgin and mother

Question 9

explain the inter insigniores - 1976

Answer 9

pope paul vi
- priest acts in place of christ
- incarnation of word purposely took place as male sex
- ‘natural resemblence’
- sacred tradition - remain faithful to how jesus did it

Question 10

mulieris dignitatem - when, who, and aim

Answer 10

pope john paul ii 1988
- aim to set out roman catholic attitude for women
defend christianity against accusations of sexism

Question 11

mulieris dignitatem - state two main arguments

Answer 11

Motherhood is a woman’s telos; natural purpose

There are important and valued women in Christian history/theology

Question 12

mulieris dignitatem
‘Motherhood is a woman’s telos; natural purpose’ explain what pope paul says about this

Answer 12

‘naturally disposed to motherhood’
physically: womb
psychologically: motherhood creates a ‘special openness’ in a mother to their child - develop self-giving abilities and compassion.

So, the fulfilment and purpose of the female personality, especially that of compassion, comes from virginity and motherhood. This argument is based on Natural law reasoning about telos.

Question 13

evaluation for motherhood being a womans telos

Answer 13

cultural relativity - matriarchal societies etc
- biblical patriarchy

Question 14

theotokos def

Answer 14

god bearer

Question 15

mulieris dignitatem:
likeness of god

Answer 15

men and women created equally in gods image
- eve is a helper - something an animal couldnt be
- called to exist mutually

Question 16

mulieris dignitatem:
misogyny and fall

Answer 16

• fall is symbolic but is a spiritual truth
• misoginy due to sin - relationship broken

Question 17

mulieris dignitatem:
what did he mean by women masculinising themsleves for equality

Answer 17

women shouldnt make themselves masculine in pursuit of equality
‘women must not appropriate themselves male characteristics contrary to feminine origin’

Question 18

mulieris dignitatem:
jesus

Answer 18

• promoter of womens dignity and even caused scandal
• talked with women, let sinful women touch him . healed sick mother etc
• women were first to witness his resurection

Question 19

mulieris dignitatem:
motherhood

five

Answer 19

• women have greater role in creation of child
• comes naturally to women ‘naturally disposed’
• more authority in childbearing
• women take part in gods salvific action by birthing population
• noble task that is not degrading

Question 20

mulieris dignitatem:
virginity

Answer 20

• being a dedicated virgin doesnt deprive her of fulfilling maternal inclinations as it can be done for christian community - nun
• spiritual mothers subordinate unlike priests

Question 21

mulieris dignitatem:
virginity quote

Answer 21

‘by freely choosing virginity women confirm themselves as persons’

Question 22

mulieris dignitatem: how does it elevate marys role

three

Answer 22

• theotokos
• central part in salvation
• selfless in this act

Question 23

mulieris dignitatem: what does he mean by proto evangelium of eve

Answer 23

woman who is ideal since eve made wrongs that mary was able to right by birthing salvation

Question 24

why may ‘head of the wife’ not actually mean head in an authority way

Answer 24

kephale can mean point of origin/beginning
adam is kephale of eve because eve came from his ribs

Question 25

what did Betty Friedan find about housewives in the 50s - did they think it was their telos to be mothers

Answer 25

they were bored and unfulfilled

Question 26

Simone de Beauvoir on motherhood as a woman's telos

Answer 26

existentialist (they reject telos)

Question 27

what does satre say about telos

Answer 27

“existence precedes essence” - humans define their own purpose because they exist before a defined purpose - psychological argument - ppl r afraid of freedom In creating own purpose so cling to old ones

Question 28

mulieris dignitatem: There are important and valued women in Christian history/theology. explain !

Answer 28

- many female European saints - incarnation only possible due to Mary so can't be sexist because they hold women in such high regard

Question 29

who says that through Mary being a “docile servant that she will be also a blessed saint”

Answer 29

Simone de Beauvoir

Question 30

how does Mary daly see Mary

Answer 30

- as a rape victim - a passive void waiting to be made by a male - Mary is put on a pedestal but only to encourage women to become passive, submissive and obedient - so they can become sexual property of men

Question 31

how does Mary daly respond to the Catholic Church liking and respecting Mary

Answer 31

likens it to the way a slave owner likes and respects their most obedient slave

Question 32

Simone de Beauvoir argues religion is a tool for what - and how does it achieve this

Answer 32

a tool to keep women under control in their oppressed place with false promises that they will go to heaven if they obey claiming that women are associated with sin and temptation for men due to the story of The Fall.

Question 33

does de Beauvoir think women have the same nature

Answer 33

no female biological nature because all women are different.

Question 34

how does de Beauvoir think patriarchy needs to be destroyed

Answer 34

“destroy the concept of motherhood”. - many mothers dislike being one - depends also on social context - link to anne oakly

Question 35

who thought de behaviour devalued motherhood and made it sound negative

Answer 35

Mary O’Brien - motherhood fine if their choice

Question 36

Steven pinker, a lib fem, is critical of rad fem because he thinks they believe in ‘tabula rasa’. what does this mean

Answer 36

blank slate - the idea the mind contains no human nature and is blank from birth - suggests no cognitive differences from women - he thinks they hold this view for ideological reasons not rational ones - he doesn't think a society free from sexism would have a 50/50 split because diff genders have diff interests and temperaments

Question 37

what is evaluation for pinker saying women and men have diff interest and temperaments due to science

Answer 37

it may not be scientific but cultural reasons for data - women pressured to be interested in trad feminine things Society might condition men and women differently in those traits.

Question 38

what is “The gender paradox”

Answer 38

name given to the statistically observed phenomenon that as gender equality increases in a society, the gender split in terms of the different lifestyle and profession choices men and women make also increases.

Question 39

what did Anne okay find when she interviewed mothers on motherhood

Answer 39

'maternal instinct' comes from culture not biology - women didn't instinctively know how to breastfeed - mothers who neglect children were often neglected as children - suggests Paul 11 is wrong that women are created with maternal instinct

Question 40

evaluation of Anne oakleys finding on motherhood ( mothers who neglect children were often neglected as children ) and counter

Answer 40

women who were neglected have trauma that interferes with their maternal instinct and overrides it - but it has evolved over time so suggests that it has not come from god