woman

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woman In Israel in the early period the man was the absolute ruler of the extended family; if a husband died, the widow was given to the nearest brother of the deceased (Deut. 25: 5–10). Women had no powers, could make no decisions, though they could sometimes engage in inspired trickery (Gen. 27 and 31). The subordination of women was maintained during the monarchical period; divorce was exclusively open to a husband, and a woman's adultery was, according to the law, a capital offence (Lev. 20: 10). Women were not entitled to own property and were kept in states of impurity—e.g. during and after menstruation and after childbirth (the length of purdah was doubled if a baby was female). In practice, however, a measure of humanity possibly prevailed, and women were not excluded from worship ceremonies (Deut. 16: 13–14). Women are to be honoured as parents equally with men (Exod. 20: 12). Women could seize opportunities: Abigail, wife of Nabal, loaded a great quantity of her husband's most valued goods on to donkeys and delivered them to David (1 Sam. 25: 23), and Queen Jezebel certainly exercised power (1 Kgs. 21: 7). There had also been women prophets in Israel—Miriam and Deborah, and ‘wise women’ (2 Sam. 20: 16–22). Huldah interpreted Deuteronomy for King Josiah (2 Kgs. 22: 14–20). There is a picture of the ideal domesticated woman in Prov. 31: 10 ff.—but this perhaps is an example of how the generally subordinate condition of women was due to the tradition being shaped by men. Legislation after the Exile imposed more restrictions on women. They were no longer able to participate with men in worship, but in the Second Temple were relegated to an outer court. Their testimony was not accepted in courts, and they could not teach the Torah. By the NT era there had been a few changes: it is assumed that women in the Graeco-Roman world of the gospels may legally divorce their husbands (Mark 10: 12); but there is evidence that in post-70 CE Judaism male Jews still gave thanks to God that they were not born female (Tosefta Berakot, 7: 18).

In the gospels there is no indication that Jesus in his teaching or actions displayed a biased, masculine (‘sexist’) attitude to women, and his being called ‘Son of God’ by the evangelists was more a theological recognition of his close relationship to God than an assertion of maleness. The birth of Jesus gives Mary a prominent role in the scheme of salvation, and women are also prominent in the resurrection narratives: it is they who receive the first revelation that Jesus has been raised. Between the birth and resurrection there are notable healing miracles for women—the distressing case of menorrhagia (Mark 5: 24–34) and the Gentile Syro-Phoenician girl (Mark 7: 24–30). Women anoint Jesus (e.g. Luke 7: 36–50), and Mary and Martha are described, along with their brother Lazarus, as ‘loved’ by Jesus (John 11: 5). Jesus' relationships with women accord with his teaching that the kingdom of God implies a new community of love which embraces all mankind (Luke 13: 10–17). People are welcomed by Jesus irrespective of race, status, or gender, and those who are called to leadership are chosen on the basis of God's gracious spirit not on accidents of birth.

In the Church there were undoubtedly tendencies to retain traditional masculine superiority (1 Tim. 2: 11–12). When, however, Paul urges women in the Corinthian Church to ask their husbands at home about matters discussed rather than in the public assembly (1 Cor. 14: 35) he is making a local regulation for a local problem, in the interests of good order, just as he instructed male prophets to be silent if their speech proved unedifying. Paul certainly did expect women normally to speak to the whole congregation (1 Cor. 11: 5).

The tenor of the Christian gospel is in favour of a true evaluation of women (Gal. 3: 28), though the Church down the ages has been slow and reluctant to incorporate this belief into its institutions and rituals. See feminism.

wom·an / ˈwoŏmən/ • n. (pl. wom·en / ˈwimin/ ) an adult human female. ∎  a female worker or employee. ∎  a wife, girlfriend, or lover: he wondered whether Billy had his woman with him. ∎  a female person associated with a particular place, activity, or occupation: a young American woman. ∎  [in sing.] female adults in general: woman is intuitive. ∎  a female paid to clean someone's house and carry out general domestic duties. ∎  a peremptory form of address to a woman: don't be daft, woman. PHRASES: be one's own womansee own.the little woman a condescending way of referring to a man's wife.my good woman Brit., dated a patronizing form of address to a woman: you're mistaken, my good woman.woman of letters a female scholar or author.woman of the streets dated used euphemistically to refer to a prostitute.woman of the worldsee world.woman to woman in a direct and frank way between two women.DERIVATIVES: wom·an·less adj.wom·an·like / -ˌlīk/ adj.

woman a woman, a dog, and a walnut tree, the more you beat them the better they be proverbial saying, late 16th century; the walnut tree was beaten firstly to bring down the fruit, and then to break down long shoots and encourage short fruit-bearing ones.
a woman and a ship ever want mending proverbial saying, late 16th century, meaning that both women and ships require constant attention and expenditure; 2nd century bc in Plautus, ‘whoever wants to acquire a lot of trouble should get himself a ship and a woman. For neither of them is ever sufficiently equipped, and there is never enough means of equipping them.’
a woman's place is in the home proverbial saying, mid 19th century, reflecting the traditional view of a woman's role.
a woman's work is never done proverbial saying, late 16th century, reflecting the traditional responsibilities of the housewife.

See also hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, make an honest woman of, a man is as old as he feels, and a woman as old as she looks, silence is a woman's best garment, a whistling woman and a crowing hen, women.

woman pl. women OE. wīfman(n) m., later fem., f. wīf woman + man(n) MAN; a formation peculiar to Eng. (not in the oldest OE. records). Assim. of -fm- to -mm- is evident in late OE. sp., and rounding of wim- to wum-, wom- in XIII.
Hence womanish (-ISH1) XIV, womankind XIV, womanly (-LY1) XIII. womanize emasculate XVI; consort XIX.

woman, women. See FEMALE WARRIORS AND CHAMPIONS.

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WOMAN (ˈwʊmən) World Organization for Mothers of All Nations