In regard to the quotes from Srila Prabhupada posted previously, one important item was studying the lives of women in the sastra: "There are many stories, Nala-Damayanti, then Parvati, Sita, five chaste women in the history. They should read their life." -Conversation: July 10, 1975, Chicago
"Not only was mother Sitä powerful, but any woman who follows in the footsteps of mother Sitä can also become similarly powerful. There are many instances of this in the history of Vedic literature. Whenever we find a description of ideal chaste women, mother Sita is among them. Mandodari, the wife of Rävana, was also very chaste. Similarly, Draupadi was one of five exalted chaste women. As a man must follow great personalities like Brahmä and Närada, a woman must follow the path of such ideal women as Sitä, Mandodari and Draupadi." -SB 9.10.27p
On the contrary, a representative of the ISKCON Women's Ministry has recommended that the lives of the chaste ladies given in the sastras and suggested by Srila Prabhupada as part of a woman's education, are currently negligible and should therefore be replaced with Kali yuga career women role models. She seems unaware of an increasing number of western men who are actively seeking out traditional minded women from other countries with the help of matchmaking services. Seeking out traditional women has been happening in ISKCON, too, quite naturally. So, it is not that traditional thinking is dead. Rather, it is making a recovery. It is better that we catch up by replacing the current Women's Ministry with a more dharmic ministry that promotes the return of traditional role models (LATER NOTE: Thankfully, this is starting to happen via the ISKCON Institute for Spiritual Culture and HG Devaki Mataji).
GOOD REASONS TO AVOID JUMPING INTO THE CAREER WOMAN HOLE:
1. Once one invests so much trouble into education as a career woman, she will feel forced to use it, even at the cost of future family life and happiness. And really, what mundane careers are that precious?
Becoming a lawyer to defend liars? Becoming a professor required to teach atheism? Becoming a doctor to prescribe dangerous drugs for an increasingly sick world? Bhagavad Gita says to examine the flaws of every Kali yuga job.
2. Srila Prabhupada was right on the mark that a university education for young women means learning to kill their own children. Normal women are designed to bear children, and to counteract this, feminist-funded education on abortion and contraceptives has become widespread. Think about it- supporting career education for women supports child killing.
3. Imagine the shock of women discovering infertility after devoting their youth pursuing the career they got trained for, what to speak of trying to find a husband when they are much older. It gets tougher, since health problems become more serious with age. After all, nobody wants to marry a walking doctor bill, and unless attachment has had much time to develop, reluctantly will someone want to care for such a person if they should become seriously ill.
On the other hand, a woman who married young and her children are now grown up, took care of all that biological business already, and now has the time do as she likes.
"Not only was mother Sitä powerful, but any woman who follows in the footsteps of mother Sitä can also become similarly powerful. There are many instances of this in the history of Vedic literature. Whenever we find a description of ideal chaste women, mother Sita is among them. Mandodari, the wife of Rävana, was also very chaste. Similarly, Draupadi was one of five exalted chaste women. As a man must follow great personalities like Brahmä and Närada, a woman must follow the path of such ideal women as Sitä, Mandodari and Draupadi." -SB 9.10.27p
On the contrary, a representative of the ISKCON Women's Ministry has recommended that the lives of the chaste ladies given in the sastras and suggested by Srila Prabhupada as part of a woman's education, are currently negligible and should therefore be replaced with Kali yuga career women role models. She seems unaware of an increasing number of western men who are actively seeking out traditional minded women from other countries with the help of matchmaking services. Seeking out traditional women has been happening in ISKCON, too, quite naturally. So, it is not that traditional thinking is dead. Rather, it is making a recovery. It is better that we catch up by replacing the current Women's Ministry with a more dharmic ministry that promotes the return of traditional role models (LATER NOTE: Thankfully, this is starting to happen via the ISKCON Institute for Spiritual Culture and HG Devaki Mataji).
GOOD REASONS TO AVOID JUMPING INTO THE CAREER WOMAN HOLE:
1. Once one invests so much trouble into education as a career woman, she will feel forced to use it, even at the cost of future family life and happiness. And really, what mundane careers are that precious?
Becoming a lawyer to defend liars? Becoming a professor required to teach atheism? Becoming a doctor to prescribe dangerous drugs for an increasingly sick world? Bhagavad Gita says to examine the flaws of every Kali yuga job.
2. Srila Prabhupada was right on the mark that a university education for young women means learning to kill their own children. Normal women are designed to bear children, and to counteract this, feminist-funded education on abortion and contraceptives has become widespread. Think about it- supporting career education for women supports child killing.
3. Imagine the shock of women discovering infertility after devoting their youth pursuing the career they got trained for, what to speak of trying to find a husband when they are much older. It gets tougher, since health problems become more serious with age. After all, nobody wants to marry a walking doctor bill, and unless attachment has had much time to develop, reluctantly will someone want to care for such a person if they should become seriously ill.
On the other hand, a woman who married young and her children are now grown up, took care of all that biological business already, and now has the time do as she likes.
4. The career woman model is known for killing off femininity. Ever notice how working women are increasingly looking like and or acting like men? Being surrounded by men in most working places makes it a survival tactic.
5. If a woman is successful in her career, her wages give her a certain amount of independence. That means she gains the option to dump her husband when the going gets rough, rather than learning how to work at a relationship. Wealthy women are famous for this. And it puts off maturity.
6. There's a saying that "Credentials on a wall do not make one a decent human being". In other words, it is far better to be a humble housewife with full faith in Krishna and respect for all living beings rather than a faithless, academic addict who derides the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Rama as a woman hater or thinks a pure devotee such as Srila Prabhupda is conditioned by his cultural background. The latter exist in ISKCON today, due to association of mundane colleges.
"“Unless you cent percent agree with the spiritual master’s opinion or philosophy, there is no need of accepting a spiritual master. There is no need." (Lecture: Bhagavad-gita 2.8-12 — Los Angeles, November 27, 1968)
“Although a devotee may apparently express himself to be ignorant, he is full of knowledge in every intricate matter.” (SB 3.7.8 purport)
“…if one considers the spiritual master an ordinary human being, one is doomed. His study of the Vedas and his austerities and penances for enlightenment are all useless, like the bathing of an elephant.” (SB 7.15.26 purport)
“If the spiritual master is considered an ordinary man, the disciple surely loses his chance to advance further.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.12.14, Purport)
7. All further education can be better learned instead by good association and good, useful books. Large amounts of time and money can be saved as well from going into the pockets of mundane colleges and it can be better invested for a woman's future home life, what to speak of saving her future husband from having to shoulder a huge college debt!
8. Outside employment is meant for sudras. Srila Prabhupada says: "You see here that all young girls are carrying water, collecting. In the morning collecting water, cleansing the house, utensils, clothes, taking bath, then cooking, those girls. Their first business. Man's business is to earn money, go to the market, the necessities. Woman's business is take care of household affairs, children, and they have got engagement. And in the presence of father or elder brother or husband, a woman has to earn livelihood—that's a great insult." - (VAD talk, SB 2.1.1-5, 6/28/77, Vrndavana)
9. When women stick to their prescribed duties, deferring to men what are theirs, men naturally will be encouraged or feel needed to perform them. This not only applies to the services at a temple, but in one's home and at the work place as well.
Unfortunately, most employers are now forced to give women job preferences over men out of fear of "sex discrimination" lawsuits. As a result, there has been an increase of working women everywhere, taking over more than 50% of the job force in the west. The same goes for favoring women over men- even if the men prove more qualified- for getting into an educational institution. Thus all of this so-called "progress for women" really means that men are being cheated out of educational, employment and service opportunities. Even a word has been coined to describe this- "misandry". And Bhagavad gita calls it greed, one of the gates to hell, (Bg 16.21)
In this regard, George Gilder, author of Sexual Suicide wrote, "To most men, success at work is virtually a matter of life and death, for it determines his sexual possibilities and affirms his identity as a male in a socially affirmative way... For a female employee the sexual constitution of money is much less important. Her sexual prospects are little affected by how much she makes. Thus even if the woman is a very dependable employee, a payment to her does not usually purchase as great a commitment as does a payment to man."
Furthermore, with so many people now available for hire, flooding the marketplace, wages are affected, which in turn affects those women who sincerely wish to remain at home. Helen Andelin, author of the best selling classic "Fascinating Womanhood" foresaw this when she wrote: “If you women continue to demand your choice to work, you will so upset the economy of this country that the time will come when you will not have a choice. You will have to work.” And you can thank the feminists for getting rid of the family wage.
A respectable lady, too, has talents and skills she can use to serve humanity, but rather than give class to men, she prefers sharing we Krishna katha with lady friends. Rather than becoming a temple president, she prefers to manage her own household as an expansion of Lord's temple. Rather than being the head pujari, she loves serving her own deities at home and hosting guests to feed them prasada. And rather than preaching to the masses, she engages in various programs with her husband or female companions. In this way, more men can feel encouraged to do their duties rather than become lazy, thinking the women will do everything for them.
10. The more important work for women, caring for their families, won't be neglected. Otherwise, so many disadvantages every child faces who is left to be raised by strangers. One is when the day care is unsteady and the child is switched from one caretaker to another during his most impressionable, formative years. Of course, family women may maintain a nanny or nurse to assist in caring for her children, but she should be at home directing the caretaker and household help.
In other words, it's not that a lady at home can't have her personal desires met within the domestic sphere. The only real problem is when there is a lack of support from society as a whole, since the lady at home often goes about her business quietly and behind the scenes. Left untrained and uncultured, most women prefer to be seen and heard.
SOCIAL CONDITIONING
Feminist social engineers argue that the traditional roles for men and women are due to a social conditioning that needs to be unlearned. So, even if that were true, that people who want traditional roles still exist, how about we undo feminist conditioning instead?
Actually, we can by teaching our daughters properly. And with a major shift in ISKCON's mindset back to Srila Prabhupada's teachings, they'll soon have lots of company and won't feel lonely or discouraged. Many a young woman will be able to admit her natural, feminine propensities with a sigh of relief...rather than having to dress like a neon sign board!
So, sensible people need to take a look at the huge, growing discontent displayed against feminism on the web and by talking to people around them. It didn't work. That's because all that was really missing in the past traditional role models was Krishna consciousness. Thus, instead of listening to these gender conscious women who say "by women for women only", let's get back to the business of giving the real knowledge that everyone is thirsting for- Krishna consciousness.
Krishna consciousness, working for the pleasure of Krishna, is so important because in nearly every discussion about the role of women that includes "liberal" minded devotees, there have been disparaging remarks in regards to the position of a mother or a homemaker. They talk like its some sort of nasty duty women are forced to bear in order to get on to better things. They don't seem to understand how anything done for Krishna is an ever-fresh, ever-increasing blissful experience. Nor do they seem to understand what an absorbing and fulfilling service family life can be in relation to Him. It appears all they are really doing is repeating what their Women's Studies classes taught them, rather than experiencing anything for themselves.
Actually, it is this feminism that is repressive and sexist. It is uncivilized and demoniac. Feminist history reveals the expectation for human society to adapt to an artificial, humanist and ultimately confusing ideology, and whoever does not or cannot- is expendable. Therefore, any sane person should reject it.
And for those that resolutely dislike domestic life, there's the idea to maintain an all women's temple. In a letter (Nov 1975) Srila Prabhupada wrote:
"My dear Palika devi dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated November 27, 1975. Yes, the separation of man and woman is desirable. If Yamuna and yourself can develop such an institution of a woman's asrama, that will be nice."
As for our daughters, they can be trained in herbal and natural healing, learn about the arts, social graces, nutrition, cleanliness, child care, healthy relationships and so much more. There is a life time of stuff to keep the normal woman busy without the need for a college education, which Prabhupada repeatedly criticized as meant for sudras. Most importantly, given an education in Krishna consciousness, they can become spiritually strong women who are able to withstand the inevitable difficulties this material world has to offer rather than hiding behind artificial philosophies and material adjustments. In other words, let's bring back the beautiful, feminine women- but who are now Krishna conscious.
This could prove to be our most powerful preaching program of all.