Sadly, for much of history, women were considered the property of men. Their only value was keeping the home running and birthing children.
PICTURE: Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash
It was very difficult to live as a woman without a man.
Then things changed. The early church gave status to woman as equal in value to men; seeing them as workers in ministry and providing for widows.
In a society where your value was defined by the man you were with, the most radical thing you could do was renounce marriage.
This is precisely what nuns did; female monks. They were the career woman of history, not bound to men or defined by sexual roles. It’s amazing to understand what a progressive step this was, leading the way in women’s freedom.
We’ve come so far, and I’m very glad my wife is my best friend, not head servant.
Paul Clark’s musings can be heard on radio across Australia and at atthetop.org.au.