I was astonished last Tuesday when the Church of
England voted to reject the ordination of women bishops. Living in the 21st
Century I would’ve never imagined the Church to be so out of touch. And it appears I’m not alone with the PM himself expressing
disappointment.
Was this somehow an expression of the ideological
justification from Christianity for the gender division that I witnessed when
watching ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’?
‘The Feminine Mystique’ a book found on the shelf of any
Gypsy or Traveller caravan? I think not. If feminism has gone any way to
breaking the gender barrier, then the Gypsies and Travellers have certainly
overlooked it. For Gypsies and Travellers the course of one’s life is
determined at birth according to their gender.
Female =
‘Homemaker’, Male = ‘Breadwinner’
So, let’s just say the phrase ‘born to wed’ certainly
defines your Gypsy or Traveller woman and as you heard, life before marriage is
no picnic with all those strict codes of behaviour. But for the man it’s a
completely different set of rules, or lack of. So the question is, is this
gender distinction compatible with Christianity?
Historically, there’s no denying that the Church has facilitated
gender inequality and as we can see from recent events there is still an
imbalance between the sexes. So it wouldn’t seem too far-fetched to claim that
the Gypsies and Travellers’ gender distinction resonates from the ‘stained-glass ceiling’
in Christianity.
However, is this version of Christianity just a dying sect?
Surely we must be able to find a few feminist Christians or what’s to be said
for the future of Christianity?
The video found in the link below represents arguably what are Christianity’s
beliefs on gender…
An illustration of the old out-dated alongside the young
future of Christianity, reflected on closer scrutiny in the margin of votes,
with 324 out of 446 actually
voting in favour of women bishops. Therefore the eventual course of
Christianity does look to ultimately be one of gender equality.
“In the image of
God He created them; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27)
It appears it’s not just the future of Christianity that the
Gypsy and Travellers’ views are incompatible with but the Bible itself!!
I’m not saying that gender discrimination can’t be found in
the Bible but like the one above there’s certainly many biblical references
that support gender equality. If we’re all equally created, then in the eyes of
God this doesn’t include any inequality between genders. By holding and
enforcing this aren’t Gypsies and Travellers just going against the freedom of
equality created by God?
However, perhaps a slight breeze of modernity is drifting
through the Gypsy and Traveller community. Arguably a tiny fraction of the
Gypsy and Traveller community are rebelling?
But there’s a more dangerous side of the Gypsy and Traveller
gender distinction in the form of the domestic abuse it leaves women vulnerable
to. It’s not hard to find a link between the arguably submissive status of a Gypsy
or Traveller woman and the domestic abuse supposedly kept secret, but accepted
in the Gypsy and Traveller community. A recent article
referenced findings that between 61 and 81% of married Gypsies and Traveller
women in Wrexham had experienced direct abuse from a partner. I mean would God
really approve? If this gender distinction allows for such devaluing of women and
un-Christian behaviour it can’t be compatible with being Christian. Isn’t
Christianity all about love and tolerance?
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