May God bless women!<\/p>\n
Solita Sarwono, Psychologist, Gender Specialist, Wasenaar,
\nThe Netherlands<\/p>\n
On March 8 the world focuses its attention on women: the poor,
\nrich, illiterate, highly educated, housewives, the jobless,
\ncareer women, traditional, modern, young, old, married and
\nsingle. In short: all women from diverse cultural, social,
\neconomic and religious backgrounds.<\/p>\n
They all share something in common, their role as care givers.
\nFor thousands of years this care giving has always been the main
\nrole women are expected to play and to master well.<\/p>\n
Even queens and other wealthy women waited upon by domestic
\nservants are still given the responsibility of taking care of
\ntheir husbands, caring for and educating their children, and
\ntaking care of the elderly.<\/p>\n
They must ensure that their servants do their jobs correctly.
\nNo woman can escape this duty, even if she is single or
\nchildless, or living in a modern Western society. How women
\nperform this duty is very much affected by the social, cultural
\nand religious milieu in which they live.<\/p>\n
In traditional Tunisian communities, young girls learn from
\ntheir families to accept getting married, being a good wife and
\ngiving birth to boys as their most important goals. Failing to
\npresent a son may lead to divorce, which is very shameful and an
\nexcuse for the husband to remarry. Tunisian men who work in
\ncottage carpet industries leave their families for 11 months a
\nyear to sell their wares. Women look forward to the day when they
\ncome home, when they can show their love and care, and the rugs
\nthey have produced over the course of the year.<\/p>\n
The husband will assess the results of his wife's work in
\ncaring for the children, his parents who live in the marital
\nhome, the household and the rugs produced. If the husband is not
\nhappy, the one month stay will turn into a time of fighting and
\nscreaming, and the man may soon leave again.<\/p>\n
Sometimes religious expectations also affect the form of care
\ngiven by women. Women married to members of the Hezbollah group
\nin the Middle East do not worry about losing their husbands or
\nsons in battle or to a bomb blast. They reportedly pray to be
\nblessed with many sons who can be educated and trained as strong
\nfighters -- though young women now also participate in military
\ntraining and prepare themselves to perpetrate suicide bombings.<\/p>\n
The preference for boys is also very strong among the Chinese
\nand the people of India. Some 30 million baby girls in China and
\n23 million in India \"disappear\" each year, through abortion or
\n\"mercy killing\". Despite the preference for males, females are
\nstill needed for procreation and for family care -- so girls are
\n\"imported\" from other villages, cities and even from other
\ncountries to serve as brides when the supply of young women runs
\nlow.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the variety of cultures and gaps in education,
\nemployment and wealth color the expectations of women. While the
\nelite strive for a quota for women in the legislature, the
\npeasant wife struggles day and night to put food on the table for
\neveryone (sometimes skipping meals herself). Working women who
\ncan afford a maid delegate their caring duties to her, blaming
\nher when something goes wrong but rarely praising her when things
\nare done right.<\/p>\n
Women from low-income families have a much greater burden of
\nresponsibilities and duties to perform, leaving them little time
\nto rest. Most women accept family care as their main role.
\nUnmarried women living with parents or siblings will take care of
\nthe parents or nephews and nieces.<\/p>\n
In industrial Europe and North America, women have a higher
\nlevel of education, higher employment rate, fewer children --
\nmany even prefer to remain childless or stay single -- and the
\ndivorce rate is high. Women live with their spouses and young
\nchildren only, separated from the parents and grandparents.
\nWithout domestic help, women (and men, too) have to do the
\nhousehold chores in addition to pursuing their careers.<\/p>\n
Despite emancipation, women still bear a greater
\nresponsibility for family care compared to men. With an rapidly
\naging population in the Netherlands (13 percent of the population
\nare 65 or older), and with an average of only 1.6 births per
\nwoman, the woman's task is shifting from caring for children to
\ncaring for the elderly.<\/p>\n
Most elderly people who can no longer live independently move
\ninto retirement homes, or remain in their own homes where they
\nmust be taken care of by a nurse. However, the massive demand for
\nsuch nurses has led to a need for unpaid volunteers, mostly women
\non moderate incomes with children of their own. Their
\ncontribution to the care services is calculated as reaching 1.3
\nbillion euro, and the Dutch government is planning to provide
\nfinancial rewards for these voluntary care givers.<\/p>\n
Women all over the world play a crucial role in maintaining
\nlife through the provision of family care. Some are appreciated
\nand rewarded for their work, while others are neglected or taken
\nfor granted. Let us spend some time to think about all the love
\nand care we have received from our mothers, wives, daughters,
\ndaughters-in-law and even our maids, and show some heartfelt
\nappreciation to them.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/may-god-bless-women-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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