Women of the Bible

Myth:Feminism is the root of societies problems.

Divorce, child abuse, homosexuality....every challenge in society can be laid at the feet of feminism according to this myth. However, this does not reflect the message of the Bible. If feminism could account for any of these problems, or even a rise in these problems, patriarchal societies would be free of divorce, child abuse and other societal ills. Take child abuse, for instance. I've spoken to a woman who worked as a nurse in Glasgow in the 1940s. She remembered children being brought in daily with broken bones, bruises and burns inflicted by their parents, mainly by their fathers. At the time, as she explained, medical staff could do nothing. Fathers had the right under the law to "discipline" their children without outside interference. According to her, these were occasional incidents, but sometimes the entire day's case load. Similarly, in patriarchal Rome, children could be left out to die of exposure. In many modern day third world nations, particularly in patriarchal societies, female children die at a higher rate as they are the last to receive a share in limited food and medical resources. In fact, women like Susan B Anthony started the "Women's Movement" to combat social problems like child abuse and child labor.

In fact, even the Bible includes examples of the same social challenges we face today. In the house of David, certainly no feminist, Tamar was raped by her brother, and her father not only did nothing but may have been complicit in setting her up to be raped. When the Angels of the Lord visited Sodom and Gemorrah they were propositioned by men (suggested homosexuality was just as much an issue then.) Divorce was allowed by the law. Perhaps it wasn't as prevelant as today, however, polygamy and adultery were. Only men could get divorced at the time, and since they could add more wives and go to prostitutes and have sex with other women, they really didn't need to divorce. But from a wife's perspective the view is less appealing. She faced the struggles of Leah and Peniniah and Hannah and Rachel. More, those kinds of "marriages" were not the marriage that God set out and were just as sinful as divorce.
Feminism is also being blamed for "women working outside the home". To be clear women in the Bible "worked" outside the home. Deborah was the leader of Israel, the ideal woman in Proverbs 31 was a merchant and vinter, Susanna and Joanna travelled with and supported Jesus etc. But more than that women have ALWAYS worked outside the home. Only rich women at any point in history could afford to stay home and only be mother--it was a luxury most women simply couldn't afford. Women worked the fields, tended bars, worked in prostitution (like Rahab), worked in factories, served as domestics. This isn't a result of feminism, but a result of economics.

So, is feminism responsible for society's ills? Certainly not. Human beings and sin are responsible for societies ills.