In this dissertation I have addressed the topic of The Rediscovery of the Role of Women: A Comparative Study of the Israelite Woman and the Contemporary South African Woman in the Family Context. My main findings were that the family ultimately suffers and children are not socialized within the boundaries of the family as they were in the times of our ancestors.
CHAPTER ONE
RESEARCH DESIGN
- TITLE OF THESIS
- SUPERVISOR
- OBJECTIVES OF AND NEED FOR THE STUDY .1 Theoretical Framework
- RATIONALEIMOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY
- THEORETICAL CONCLUSION
- RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY
- LIMITATIONS
- CONCLUSION
Are there contrasting voices in the biblical texts that depict the role of women within the family context. Although the changing role of women in the context of the family is not a new concept, literature on this topic is lacking not only on the lives of women in ancient societies, but also within the contemporary South African context.
CHAPTER TWO
A SOCIO-HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE ROLE OF WOMEN:ISRAELITE CONTEXT
INTRODUCTION
THE FAMILY STRUCTURES IN ANCIENT ISRAEL
- The Fratriarchal Family
- The Matriarchal Family
- The Patriarchal Family
In Genesis 34, we see the actions of Jacob's sons to avenge the rape of their sister, and in Genesis 24, Laban played an important role in arranging the marriage of his sister Rebecca. The second type of family structure was 'matriarchy', which was more common in primitive societies.
THE ISRAELITE FAMILY
The family was represented in public by its male head or adult male members. Men also gained legal authority over women, including in the field of women's primary activity, the family.
WOMEN IN EARLY ISRAEL
- Primary Roles and Images .1 The Economic Role
- Role of Wife and Mother
The lives and work of the Israelite women were centered on the home and the duties towards the family. In the above text, the woman's role is depicted as twofold, namely wife and mother (Bird 1992:953).
ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
- WOMEN'S CLASS AND WORK
- Raising Children
- Life and Ministry of Jesus
- The Early Church
- Official Service
- Patterns of Life
The view of women in the New Testament reflects the influence of Christian as well as Jewish society. In the New Testament, Jesus uses a common understanding of the father-son relationship in his community to explain his own relationship with his heavenly father.
THE HOUSEHOLD CONCEPT
This theme is echoed in 2 Timothy 2:20-21, where the church is compared to "a great house" containing both common and valuable objects (Towner 1993:418). A distinguishing factor in Paul's teachings is his tendency to address members of the church based on their role and status in the household (wives/husbands, children/parents, slaves/masters).
THE EPISTLES OF THE APOSTLE PAUL
- Paul's teachings on the general role of men and women
- Paul and Women's Head Coverings
- Paul's Teachings on Wives' Submission .1 The Social Setting
- Ephesians 5:22-33
Roman law gave full authority over the wife, children and slaves to the male head of the household. The core content of the admonition in Ephesians 5:22-33 is the subordination of the wife to the husband and the husband's love for his wife. The term 'fear of Christ' is analogous to 'fear of the Lord' in the Old Testament.
The purpose of subordination is to provide a deeper and stronger unity between husband and wife as they share together in the family.
CONCLUSION
His use of marriage as an illustration to symbolize the relationship between Christ and the church is a reflection of the high value placed on the institution of marriage (Evans 1983:76). Although somewhat questionable, it is important to understand the underlying issues in his letters, which is that the family is ordained by God and therefore should be prioritized. The rate at which couples are divorcing and families are being split is increasing at an alarming rate, leaving women with no choice but to leave young children and seek work.
Therefore, the purpose of this research is to find a way to incorporate the values that the people of ancient Israel considered important with that of our very busy modern lifestyle.
CHAPTER THREE
THE PLACE OF WOMEN IN INDIA
INTRODUCTION
STATUS OF INDIAN WOMEN
For Hindus, the veil is a symbol of the distance between a woman and her husband's relatives, which contributes to a harmonious family life. She is unable to visit the neighbors and therefore makes few friendships in her husband's village. Among the Brahmins of Kashmir, a wife is called 'the parrot of the pillow', referring to the fact that she is only free to talk to her husband in bed (Jacobson 1995:63).
In North India, a woman cannot easily return to her parents' home, so pilgrimages can be the only respite from her husband and his family.
FAMILY LIFE
The wife of a government official who lives away from her parents rarely gets to see her in-laws, giving her as much independence as his job allows. A woman's respectful veiling and avoidance of her father-in-law and husband's older brothers is lifelong, but in some families a middle-aged bahu may exchange a few words with an aged father-in-law. The new bride also hides from her mother-in-law for a short period and from her husband in the presence of others.
A bride may be shy in the presence of her husband's father-in-law or elder brother, but if she is married to a cousin, she is normally at ease with them.
MOTHERHOOD
In the same way that an adult unmarried woman is considered incomplete, a married woman without children is also considered incomplete. Because of the general mistrust of government personnel, many villagers are suspicious of government family planning campaigns. In a study conducted by John Marshall in 1971, a small village in the Delhi area underwent an intensive family planning campaign for six months, yet none of the women adopted the idea of contraception.
Some thought that the growth of the village would lead to the opening of new shops and other facilities, which would provide employment opportunities (Jacobson.
TRADITIONAL TASKS
Although this is quite a difficult task, many women prefer to fetch water, because only at the source they can meet women from different households and exchange news and gossip. While the men are responsible for the major structural additions and repairs to the home, it is the women who are responsible for keeping the home clean and beautiful. It is very clear that Indian women perform a wide range of tasks and so does their work.
It is a fact that women in these cultures consider themselves dependent on and dependent on their fathers, brothers and husbands.
DOWRY
- The Organisation of Dowry
- The Distribution and Control of Dowry
- Dowry and Inheritance
- Dowry as a Social Problem
Regardless of what the dowry actually consists of, the gifts are given in a series of presentations made by the bride's family to the groom. However, this separation is not always easy for other members of the household who have been accustomed to the use of the goods, especially electrical appliances. It is up to him whether these funds are earmarked for the couple's future use, or whether they should be added together with the household's general funds.
The bride's mother may also derive deep moral satisfaction from what appears to be a public and honorable display of generosity (Sharma 1993: 356).
CONCLUSION
If the introduction of dowry reduces the social power of brides and endangers their lives, it strengthens the hand of the mother-in-law. Feminists are therefore hindered in their efforts for equality in such a rich and diverse culture, due to the division of women among themselves. Thus, the need for early marriage may also have been responsible for the growth of the cruel dowry system that prevailed in India for centuries and still exists among some castes.
Social customs and prejudices die hard, especially in India, where the existence of different castes, creeds and races complicates the problem.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE PLACE OF WOMEN IN SOUTH AFRICA
- INTRODUCTION
- mSTORICAL BACKGROUND OF INDIANS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE INDIAN WOMAN
- INDIAN WOMEN IN SOUTH AFRICA
- INDIAN WOMEN AS WIVES AND MOTHERS
- The JointlExtended Family
- The Nuclear Family
- INDIAN WOMEN AND RELIGION
- CONCLUSION
The development of the sugar industry in Natal encouraged the immigration of Indian laborers to South Africa in the nineteenth century. To better understand this transition, we need to better understand the concept of the joint/extended family and the role of the wife in the nuclear family. In contextualizing the role of working Indian women as wives, an examination of the wife's position in the nuclear and extended family structure served to explain women's contemporary reliance on family members (especially in caring for young children).
Christian women of Indian origin were initially (from their accession until the 1960s) the most educated of Indian women in South Africa, being the first to excel in the professions.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE FAMILY IN MODERN SOCIETY: A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
- INTRODUCTION
- THE FAMILY
- CHANGES IN FAMILY LIFE
- CONSEQUENCES FOR MODERN FAMILY LIFE
- Isolation
- Emotional Support
- Parents and Children
- THE WOMAN'S ROLE
- SEXUAL DIVISION OF LABOUR
- CONCLUSION
In traditional society, the socialization process takes place mainly within the framework of the family and kinship ties. In traditional society, the family took care of most of the needs of the individual members. Of the many changes in family life that occur in today's society, one.
In traditional society, unmarried women and widows would automatically become part of the family group.
CHAPTER SIX
CONCLUSION
Even in the teachings of the Apostle Paul we find that the family is given great respect. The traditional role of women as homemakers is still maintained in many rural parts of the country. Finally in chapter five I compared the role of women in modern society with the more traditional one (ancient Israel).
In examining the role of women, I found that as society progresses, women are becoming more and more independent and isolated.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jacobson D, The Women of North and Central India: Goddesses and Wives, in Jacobson D & Wadley S (eds), Women in India, Fp. Joshi KL, Shukla PD, Status of Women in Indian Society, in Sharma BM & Sharma U (eds), Women in Society, Fp. Meyers CL, Daily Life: Women in the Hebrew Bible Period, in Newson CA & Ringe SH (eds), The Women's Bible Commentary, Westminster/John Knox Press, Kentucky, 1992.
Pattundeen GJ, Professional Indian Women in the Greater Durban Region: Their Roles as Working Women, Mothers and Wives, (MA), UDW, 1997.
