Hi all,
In another thread titled WHY? in the beliefs and practices forum,
I have an exchange going on with another woman. She claims that JW females are not repressed or supressed in the org.(read it for reference if time allows)
I am looking for opinions or experiences. Do they have the freedom she claims? Looking forward to reading your response! :>
Thanks in advance,Tina
Are JW women repressed in the org?
by Tina 67 Replies latest jw friends
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Tina
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JanH
Tina,
The facts speak for themselves.
Women are by direct rules prohibited from any position of power in the organization. It is ruled, from the elder bodies to the governing body, exclusively by men.
In family, husbands are supposed to have the final say in any question; he is merely "encouraged" to consider his wife's wishes. If he misuses his position, she is still obliged to be totally obedient.
This is a perfect climate for massive oppression and repression of women. And, of course, that is exactly what happens. Surely, many women don't feel "oppressed", they say, generally because they submit totally. Sure, and if you want to have sex, you can't be raped. But if you can't refuse, the difference may well be academic.
- Jan
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"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate." - Occam -
rodnico
When I was young I used to daydream about being the woman who held the towels for the ones emerging from the baptismal pool. These were the women who were the "wives" of someone important. And the most I had to look forward to in my "spiritual" career was being a regular pioneer or becoming the wife of someone important. My mother who is also a witness, but a real woman at heart trained me to realize that a man is not the answer (which helped me avoid getting married at 17) that I do not need a man or brother to complete my life, but the society made if quite clear that if I wanted to pursue any goals I might have had, I had to be married.
This conflict creates a black puzzle in a little girl or young woman. Thus causing me to ask the elders if the god Jehovah created both male and female and all humans are in god's image then Jehovah must me male and female. Everything masculine and everything feminine. In the bible women were priestess in the patriarchal I'd rather be a pig than a woman Jewish society. Then why are women not allowed any kind of "privileges" in this organization? Why are women subjugated to wear a HEAD COVERING or sit down when ministering about this god who is masculine/feminine?
Right before I left for the inequalities of the way women are treated in this organization I was standing at the baptismal pool when the overseer beckoned me to him, and asked me to hold the towels for the candidates.
P.S. This is a little weird this is my first post.
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Amazing
Yes, JW women are repressed. As noted in the above posts, women have limited opportunity in the organization, unless men are not available, then they can run a congregation ... but the WTS will not allow that to exist for long in most cases, unless it is located near the north pole.
Also, JW women are mostly repressed sexually with guilt and fear of being lustful when they have normal sexual desires. The WTS has really harmed JW women in this respect. When I served as an Elder, I recall JW women saying that they hated sex, and wish their husbands would not want it, or get it over with quickly. On the contrary, I have learned that so-called 'worldly' women, even Christian women, seem to enjoy sex more normally. - Amazing
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Legaleagle2000
Not only are women oppressed, they are downright abused. If their husbands are non-jw's I've known elders to visit the home of these men and publically humiliate their wives, telling them that they should bow to the headship of their husbands because by not doing so it was giving a "bad example." They told them "you must be doing something wrong in order to incur such wrath," and similiar statements. These sisters had bruises and welts and in some cases broken noses and the like.
If the husband was a JW- or worse yet, an elder himself, the wife was threatened into silence by the threat of disfellowshipping. In one case, the "brother" was ill and suffered from Manic Depression. This brother took-out two offices and almost killed his wife when he became convinced Armageddon had come & gone & he'd missed it! He dragged his wife down the stairs and almost beat her to death. The Police Officers dispatched on the scene were almost killed- this brother had been a Special Agent in the war and was incredibly powerful.
The sister was counseled over & over to stay with this man. When she refused, the brothers marked her & virtually drove her out of town. They even went to the Institute where the brother was remanded and told the Doctors they felt that "Jackie" had driven him to this because she wasn't obedient.
My own husband was counseled to "keep your wife in check," when he reponded that "She's MY wife- Not yours and I say she can have all the freedom she wants to be whomever she wants- and that includes not having to listen to you," they almost blew their corks. He told them they were a "boys club" gone power hungry.
Seems they still held a grudge because I turned in the PO for sexual harrassment and he was deleted, along with his yes-man. The PO had written a really nasty book (I still have) and named me as a character. So everythig I "alledged" was substatiated by things in his own book!
Women are oppressed in the Society because they let themselves be. As soon as the shake off that need to please and be on the side of power they'll realize they've been selling themselves and their friends out. we called them, are
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Fredhall
Tina,
All the years in the organization, I haven't seen one sister being whipped.
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Legaleagle2000
to continue... We called these women "elderettes." They were always ready to rat on a friend for some indisgression if it meant they'd score points with the Ruling Class. I've seen them call the elders because they thought someone's car was parked too long in a driveway, or because they'd heard through the gossip line, that this one is not Christian cause she doesn't outline her Watchtower in yellow markers...stupid stuff.
And where did they get most of their info? From the elders wives who'd sat on committee meetings! The brothers were the biggest gossips in the congregation, carefully feeding the masses info to keep everyone distrustful of the other.
Women are not only oppressed, they're controlled, and throught of contemptably by the very brothers they seek to get points from. So the brothers have managed to use women's petty jealousy of each other against them. I myself was "counseled" for getting a Law degree by a sister who wouldn't go the the bathroom without her hubbys permission.
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eyes_opened
Yes, we all know physical abuse is the only kind of abuse there is Fred [8>]
Eyes
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trevor
Yes the JW women are treated like dirt.This idea of male headship is taken to extremes among Witnesses. The women members, or sisters, are not allowed to be in charge of the supply of literature to other members at Kingdom Hall meetings or give out the canvassing territory maps. Even borrowing books from a hall library, must be overseen by a male member. They are not allowed to deal with congregation accounts, decisions on decorating, or the running of any department. They are allowed to be actively involved in weekly hall cleaning, though again this must be organized by a male.
It is difficult to see how the principle of male headship in spiritual matters can be used to exclude women members from having any official authority or influence in the congregation, even in matters that are entirely secular. Most women stay because they are trapped and afraid of the consequences of standing up for themselves.
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Flowerpetal
In family, husbands are supposed to have the final say in any question; he is merely "encouraged" to consider his wife's wishes. If he misuses his position, she is still obliged to be totally obedient.
This is a perfect climate for massive oppression and repression of women. And, of course, that is exactly what happens. Surely, many women don't feel "oppressed", they say, generally because they submit totally. Sure, and if you want to have sex, you can't be raped. But if you can't refuse, the difference may well be academic.
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I can only speak from my experience. My husband has never made me feel the way you describe above. We have been married 31 years. I'm sure there are others who are not being categorized or generalized by the above comments.
Now if it's power you all are talking about, within the congregations, and you think women should have some, more "power to you." I am just not interested. Power is seductive and I want no part of it.