From a paper by World Vision,
- Create programmes and raise awareness among men and women to acknowledge and alleviate the burdens of women’s triple role in their home, workplace, and community, and promote women’s equal participation in decision-making.
- Enhance the social support system to enable women to work outside of the home by providing free/subsidised and good quality day-care centres for infants and elders.
- Governmental and international agencies, NGOs, employers, and trade unions must ensure equal rights and equal pay for all women.
Women in leadership must be encouraged to build their capacity, confidence, assertiveness, and leadership skills while increasing the number of female staff who serve as role models. At the same time, men must be made aware of the shared benefits of gender equality, enabling them to relate to and work positively with empowered women. - Furthermore, World Vision suggests partnership with social institutions such as churches, council of elders, community leaders and other sources of influence to remove barriers that prevent women from full participation.
- Educate men and women on shared gender roles that allow familial and social equity leading to households and societies where both genders have equal opportunities and access to resources and decision making.
You might read this paper and be glad that you don't live under the conditions described within. Yes, but considering the comparative prosperity of North America, women still suffer from a shocking amount of violence and discrimination. Since this is the same within the Christian community as outside it, it is time for the church as a whole to make a stand against the denial of equal decision-making power to women around the world and at home.
Let's pull together on this and better the lives of women and children here and around the world.
And here are some thoughts from Carolyn McCulley on this.
3 comments:
I think it was over at Ladies Against Feminism, but I just read a piece about how awful the "missionary organizations" are over in Africa, because they are bringing feminism with them, and how great the need is for missionaries to come in who will bring patriarchy with them instead. I was just totally SHOCKED.
It's anti-gospel to get girls in school...to see that women are not treated as second-class citizens...????? Oh my gosh, I have a hard time having any patience at all for these people sometimes. Frustration is not a strong enough word.
Suzanne, Amen!
Molly,
I am beginning to tire of the word frustrated myself. I seem to say if often. I say it when I am trying to get a church leader to let us provide a seminar for their congregation on abuse and ministering to those affected, and he says no or we'll think about it and get back to you. And he doesn't. (since of course it doesn;t happen in HIS congregation)I say it when a church leader makes a comment like a few weeks ago when we were scheduled to do a training on elder abuse and he said, "who would want to attend that?" uh... someone concerned about the elderly? I say it when they finally give permission to hold a seminar and then the LEADERSHIP DOES NOT SHOW! Frustrated doesn't fit anymore because I am beyond fruistrated, and although my husband says be patient, patience is not my strong suit when it comes to this issue because I know people are hurting.
Can we think of another word? Hostile would fit except that the connotations of that can be extreme! But I am hostile to statements such as we need more patriarchal types!
Sorry to ramble on, but I am...uuurrr... frustrated!
and I shall sign my name!
Molly,
I have friends who served in Uganda as missionaries for more than 20 years. They have told me more than once that when a man come to Jesus and starts treating his wife/wives well, his non-Christian friends insist that he has been victimized by witchcraft- there is something that seriously wrong with him not "lording it over" anymore.
Dana Ames
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