Women and Thorns

Postmodern Ethics

I just spent the last few days finishing a paper for school. This paper was for an Ethics class I am required to take. Unfortunately, the things I have learned in that class scare me.

What I learned is that Post-modernism is evolving. It used to be, only a couple years ago when I first started school that the humanistic books I had to read still believed in the innate goodness of man. In my recent ethics class, I’ve discovered that no longer can we condemn Hitler for his crimes against humanity. Before there was an “every belief is equal as long as it doesn’t hurt mankind” mentality. Nowadays, goodness depends on the culture and everyone is free to make any sort of decision they want to.

Some ethical theories claim that man is completely egotistical, and will always act on that. Others claim that only through caring can we fulfill our beliefs. But caring about everything leads us nowhere.

My answer for all of this is Total Depravity and Christ’s Grace. Yes, every single one of us is born with a sin filled heart. This does not mean we can’t be constantly transformed by the grace of God.

Women in the Workforce

My paper is about the Ethics of Caring and women in the workforce. This is an ethical theory created by women in the 1970s to now that explores the differences between men’s and women’s ethics. Professor Gilligan spoke about an idea she had called Difference Feminism:

Difference Feminism is not like equality feminism, where women try to be more and more like men. Equality feminism is backfiring in our current generation. Girls are climbing up the work place by becoming like men and losing their “voices” in the process. In contrast difference feminism embraces the real dissimilarities between men and women. These differences are not based on mere sociological or biological characteristics, but are physiologically grounded.

–my paper

The corporate world was completely structured by men. I’m not saying that is a bad thing, since men are the ones who are to go out and toil:

Cursed is the ground because of you;
   through painful toil you will eat food from it
   all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
   and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow
   you will eat your food—Genesis 3

In 2009, 46% of workers in the United States were women. That number is increasing each year. They are being thrown into the man’s world of business. Instead of growing and learning from this, most male dominated companies seem to pretend the women are men (except management positions are excluded). The problem is, women do not think the way men do. Also, the Bible says a man is to be head over his wife, not every man over every woman.

 Instead of turning into men, women should help transform the working environment. After all, it’s a woman’s job to be a helper for her husband, and a single woman’s job to change the world for Christ. Transformation only happens through justice and compassion. I’m not asking women to turn their workplace into a gossip hall, but they can add their own unique gifts, like attention to detail and compassion, to improve the work environment.  

Ignoring Difference Feminism can have even worse effects on women. Women don’t have any problems getting jobs now, but they are still trained to think like men. It’s one thing to be equal to men; it’s another thing to be exactly the same. Women shouldn’t be upset when there are more men in a certain field of work. We were all made to do different things. What women should be upset about is when they see their friends behave like men. Women have amazing gifts of sharing compassion with others. We can’t lose that when we join the workforce. We can’t be afraid to speak up.

The woman from Proverbs considers a field then buys it. Looks like men aren’t the only ones to toil in a field. Notice it doesn’t mention any thorns involved. ;)