Role of Women in Jewish Culture
The Role of Women
From ancient times to modern times, the position of women in Jewish society has often been challenged and reformed. From the first century when women had no rights, to recent history where women are granted the right to become ordained rabbis, they are in a constant motion to fight for more equality among the men.
In early times, women had a specific role that was mainly in the home and separate from the heavily spiritual lives that the men had. Their rights were limited, barely existent at all, including that they had to wear two veils covering their faces when going outside, a hairnet must be worn tied with ribbon in knots, and their dresses had to stretch from their necks to the top of their shoes. This was to keep them concealed from other men, leaving them only available to the men they were to be married to, or were already married to. Marriages, almost universally, were arranged. Her father would sign a betrothal, or marriage contract, which signified the acquisition of the woman by the man. Even though marriages were arranged, it is not to say that women were entirely insignificant. Women held the right to decide on marital sex, and “men did not have the right to beat or mistreat their wives, a right that was recognized by law in many Western countries until a few hundred years ago.”i Also, it was stuck to the reputation of the male, not the female, if a couple filed for divorce. If this were to occur the man looked like a failure in the eyes of not only his family, but also all of the families in his community.
As far as education, very few women learned to read or write; their skills were limited to the domestic arts such as: weaving, sewing, cooking etc. However, these separate expectations and duties from those of men do not necessarily make women stand a lower level than men, but rather on their own level entirely. In ancient tradition, “women for the most part are seen as separate but equal.”ii Therefore, “women who followed
From ancient times to modern times, the position of women in Jewish society has often been challenged and reformed. From the first century when women had no rights, to recent history where women are granted the right to become ordained rabbis, they are in a constant motion to fight for more equality among the men.
In early times, women had a specific role that was mainly in the home and separate from the heavily spiritual lives that the men had. Their rights were limited, barely existent at all, including that they had to wear two veils covering their faces when going outside, a hairnet must be worn tied with ribbon in knots, and their dresses had to stretch from their necks to the top of their shoes. This was to keep them concealed from other men, leaving them only available to the men they were to be married to, or were already married to. Marriages, almost universally, were arranged. Her father would sign a betrothal, or marriage contract, which signified the acquisition of the woman by the man. Even though marriages were arranged, it is not to say that women were entirely insignificant. Women held the right to decide on marital sex, and “men did not have the right to beat or mistreat their wives, a right that was recognized by law in many Western countries until a few hundred years ago.”i Also, it was stuck to the reputation of the male, not the female, if a couple filed for divorce. If this were to occur the man looked like a failure in the eyes of not only his family, but also all of the families in his community.
As far as education, very few women learned to read or write; their skills were limited to the domestic arts such as: weaving, sewing, cooking etc. However, these separate expectations and duties from those of men do not necessarily make women stand a lower level than men, but rather on their own level entirely. In ancient tradition, “women for the most part are seen as separate but equal.”ii Therefore, “women who followed