What About the Responsibilities of a Woman?

[Marsha Gupton]

Lets change this around for a bit. What about the responsibilities of a woman? What is a virtuous woman or a steadfast woman? What should be expected of us?:confused:

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

i think the first step would be to [COLOR="red"]stoptrying to be like the men. i agree with what Lynn posted. In fact, that is part of the concept behind our *girlie girl* movement.

i don't uphold that woman are to be degraded and considered animals compared to the men. We are both human - of the same scientific species. For respect, dignity - i feel that we need to be equals.

But, the fact remains that we are very different. i am in clinicals with a man. i love going to school with men. Traditionally, women have ruled the nursing department. i see that ruling continuing for a while, but having the men among us expands our thinking. Men think differently than women - women think differently from men.

i think the first step for women is that we need lay down our weapons and embrace the need for the men as they are - -

i agree with Lynn that our society is reaping the consequences of a movement to raise the dignity of womanhood. Where i agree with that part of the movement, i think the movement went too far.

Just my thought as i am studying all the ins and outs of otitis media. *grins* Think i have OME?

[Lynn Wiser]

Way to shake it up Marsha!
Since behavior is typically cultural, I believe the answer to your question (and Belinda Yvonne's) is as complex & compounded as are all the societies of this world.

In parts of the Muslim world, women are to be veiled, have no say in their lives, & I don't know if the men still buy & sell one another's daughters or not, but at one time this was common practice.

However, we live in the United States, where our court system seems to favor almost anything of human controversy, but our bible does not & in that, I find the specifics that I choose to follow as well as I can in today's society.

I can only relate what MY duties & responsibilities are as an individual woman. Being a married woman & fortunately to a godly man, God always remains first in my life, then my husband's desires follow thereafter.

However, that's not to say that we don't ever have conflicting desires, but he has learned that there are two theories to arguing with women & neither one of them works!:D

[Marsha Gupton]

Girlfriend's Changing the subject a bit, but I think it is so imporant for married women to retain their girlfriends. I can't tell you the number of friends I have lost contact with after they have gotten married. I have just reconnected with a friend and its so odd, but when she is dating she has no time for female friends. Identity - Don't lose your identity. I love my Mother dearly, but she has no individual indentity, she defines herself as my Mother and the wife of my Dad who is deceased. Of course, she is also from a diifferent era and time.

[Lynn Wiser]

I never was NOT married & my 1st husband was an abuser, so it was his plan from the beginning to keep me from the public, so I had no female friends. By the time I gained the strength to get out of that relationship, I was so withdrawn & distrusting that I still had no friends.

I have since learned that people are not necessarily out to get me & at my present husband's enlightenment, I have gradually been coached to develop healthy relationships with female acquaintances. Of those, I cherish each in their respective styles & have my husband to thank for helping my growth. I now can claim one true to heart friend who strangely enough, has only recently come into my life, but it is my understanding that if you can honestly make that claim of having one single true friend, then you have much more than many.

I understand what you are saying though & I have also witnessed many women who aside from their husbands, have no identity of their own. Many of whom tend to start their sentences with, "My husband says..." or "My husband & I feel...".
Although my own personal identity "includes" my husband since we did become one in marriage, I can not speak for how he feels or thinks. I can only speak for myself & if you want to know how he feels about an issue, go ask him.

You are right, a woman should never pledge her allegiance of friendship to another in words or actions if she's going to abandon it for anyone. In those cases, I think you can rest assured that you only had a temporary buddy instead of a friend.