Gender and Society A02

Question 1

Official Christian teaching SHOULD resist current secular views of gender

Answer 1

• Christians have a responsibility to defend traditional biblical ideas
• Bible has authority as the word of God though there are different ideas about what this means in practice
• bible consistent in ideas of 2 distinct sexes created with different purposes
• cite research that shows children happiest/achieve more if from stable families with heterosexual parents - secular views could be considered destabilising, depriving children of security offered by clear gender roles/established family hierarchy
• resistance to same sex marriage as upholding Christian virtues/maintaining sanctity of marriage - gift from God between man/woman
• same sex marriage as sinful
• Christianity sets high standards of moral behaviour that should not be undermined
• a religion that fits comfortably with secular thinking offers nothing distinctive and is not worth following

Question 2

Official Christian teaching SHOULD NOT resist current secular views of gender

Answer 2

• Christianity perpetuates injustice forcing women into position of subservience - some Christians work to improve this
• Christian ethical principle agape and treating others as you want to be treated supports that Christians have a duty to make society fairer - which includes challenging the patriarchy/insisting on more freedoms for women
• some Christians do see same sex marriage as equal with heterosexual marriage
• if Christianity is to appeal to future generations, it has to take notice of views of contemporary society and adapt to modern world
• cannot hang on to old fashioned and repressive gender inequalities

Question 3

Secular views of gender equality HAVE undermined Christian gender roles

Answer 3

• gender equality important in modern world especially for women and people are making conscious efforts to ensure equality like making sure boys and girls have access to a full range of educational opportunities
• more men also feel able to take career breaks to raise small children
• there is still considerable inequality but people are making continued efforts
• movement towards gender inequality has undermined views
• many couples including Christians no longer accept man as head and wife as obeying him
• this is good though as gives greater freedoms to men and women
• no longer feel they have to fit into the predetermined ideas of their role
• threat to Christian morality - secular views on artificial contraception abortion and same sex marriage seen as dangerous as they appear to disrespect God’s gifts

Question 4

Secular views of gender equality HAVE NOT undermined Christian gender roles

Answer 4

• they follow other key Christian teachings
• the main message of Christian teaching about gender is that of mutual love and respect under God
• we should just ignore the patriarchal guidelines in the Bible as belonging to another era
• we ignore other biblical ideas like those in Leviticus so why can’t we ignore patriarchal ideas too but keep other ideas

Question 5

Motherhood is RESTRICTING

Answer 5

• Simone de Beauvoir - motherhood forces a women to suspend her own interests and personality to take care of her children
• women have it forced upon them and it leaves them crushed, unable to develop as individuals while their children are young then empty and without purpose once children grow up and leave home
• struck a chord with many women in days before readily available contraception
• Ann Oakley interviewed women and have their accounts of their lives in their own words
• women’s feeling to be a mother is not biological but due to socialisation
• no such thing as a ‘maternal instinct’
• women feel powerless during childbirth when medical experts (often me) take over and start treating them as ‘cases’
• frustrations of staying home while kids are young
• her readers felt relief realising other women did not always find motherhood easy

Question 6

Motherhood is LIBERATING

Answer 6

• ultimate fulfilment of female potential
• enables women to practice their skills of nurturing, care, patience etc.
• Mulieris Dignitatem - Papal letter 1988 - fulfil the above
• opportunity to develop their best characteristics and gain a new dignified status in the family and the community
• at the time of her writing Beauvoir’s work was seen to be very unconventional

Question 7

Motherhood is neither restricting NOR liberating or BOTH

Answer 7

• motherhood not the same for any two women
• nor the same for one woman between one day and the next
• experiences vary depending on relationship with partner, physical/mental health and that of her child, financial situation and family to support
• many find motherhood better than they expected it to be and also far worse
• to label it fails to take into account the different facets of parenthood and the uniqueness of each mother child relationship

Question 8

the idea of family is NOT entirely culturally determined

Answer 8

• Christianity teaches its created and shaped by God
• e.g. in Genesis he decided to make male and female who should become lifelong partners and give each other mutual support
• God sets rules about the correct behaviour for different family members teaching about different gender roles through the Bible
• its a gift from God (sacrament) and an ideal way of life - the rules God has given are for all time and should not change along with society
• Christians could consider heterosexual marriage and hierarchal family life as something to be preserved and defended against the challenges of contemporary culture

Question 9

the idea of family IS entirely culturally determined

Answer 9

• social sciences its studied as a social institution
• a pattern of behaviour that’s established in society and forms a function valued by that society
• structures created by the society in which it operates giving everyone roles and a sense of belonging
• e.g. in industrialised society, people tend to live in smaller family units because different people do different work in different parts of the city
• adults tend to leave their parents house and if they don’t in this culture its considered unusual
• socialisation shows us the cultural norms of our society so we grow up knowing what is expected of us and usually accept it without too much thought
• better as if it is shaped/created by cultural norms there is nothing wrong with ideas about what constitutes a normal family changing as society changes - e.g. homosexual relationships been reflected in family structures or a man staying home to look after children