Thursday, March 08, 2007 Malig: Honoring women By Jun A. Malig Cognition
SOME weeks back, I was conversing with a female friend about women's rights and related issues. My friend is neither a public official nor a business executive. She is just an ordinary sister to her sibling, a loving daughter to her parents, a trusted friend to her peers, and a dependable aunt to her nieces.
It was not unusual for us to have matter-of-fact, and sometimes sarcastic, discussion. The more than a decade of friendship has somehow eliminated the need for us to be tactful and diplomatic with each other. We have learned that forthrightness, if coming from a real friend, is not in any way injurious.
"What do you women really want?" I asked her. "We want what you guys want. Happiness, respect, contentment," she replied.
My friend said, as a woman, she does not need any special treatment. "I just want to be regarded as I am -- a human being, an offspring of God. Just like you guys. I don't demand to be pampered and I don't feel like I'm inferior to any man. Yes, men are physically stronger. But women are more effective in many other tasks that do not require physical strength," she added.
The rest of our discussion involved non-hard feelings exchange of sarcasms and unmeant tirades. She defended women and I defended men. But we both truly knew that God made men and women to be equal and perfect companions.
Today is International Women's Day. It is being celebrated in many countries around the world to recognize their achievements and contributions to the society.
In December 1977, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a day for Women's Rights and International Peace and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women's full and equal participation.
The UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights.
Women nowadays, particularly in the West and many other countries like the Philippines, have gone a long way from their traditional role as "workers at home." Gone are the days when they have to submit themselves even to what they perceived as wrong and unreasonable outlook and decisions of their husbands. Men, most of them by the way, have learned to accept women as equal partners in any form of undertaking.
Gone are the days when Saint Paul and the early Christian leadership opted not to appoint women as church leaders. Many denominations nowadays have women heads of their ministries and chapels.
Galatians 3: 26 to 28 of the Bible (New International Version) was very clear: "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Of course, Saint Paul never intended the passage in his letter to the Galatians to establish social equality. He was merely referring to the fundamental equality of men and women in their standing before God. Saint Paul was consistent in his teachings that wives must submit themselves to their husbands and that they should not hold important positions in the church.
However, the particular biblical passage has taken a different meaning these days, especially for feminists. After all, Saint Paul wrote his letters to Christian churches at a time when even Christian societies condoned the existence of slavery -- something that has become unthinkable in the modern civilized world.
To my mother, my better half, sisters, cousins, aunties, and female friends and acquaintances: I salute and honor you.
