Lilith Who?

-Mary Beth  

           In Ewen & Ewen, Chapters 24 and 25, sexual equality is discussed in-depth, especially in reference to education. The excerpts illustrated how far we have come as an egalitarian society. They also provide insight into historical perspectives aging from the Bible all the way to present day. 

One of the things I found most interesting in Chapter 24, was the discussion of Adam’s first wife, who remains unmentioned in the Bible. Prior to reading this anecdote within the text, I had never before heard of such a woman. Supposedly, Adam’s first wife went by the name of Lilith, and was created as Adam’s equal. Adam could not tolerate her position of equality, and she could not tolerate his superior attitude, and thus, “they never found peace together.” The story goes on to say that Lilith, in a rage, “uttered the magic name of God, rose into the air, and left him” (p. 360). Evidently, this story was not told in the Bible because religion has played such a vital role in keeping women below men from the standpoint of equality. Only does one hear of Eve, the woman who was punished for her disobedience and condemned to submit to man, who “shall rule over thee” (p. 364). 

What I found to be very interesting about the aforementioned story was that Lilith, a woman, left Adam. Not until the early 20th century did women begin to leave their husbands as a result of unhappiness or unfair treatment. Thus, it is very interesting to consider that such a relatively new idea has its origins in the Bible. It is even more interesting to consider why such a story was left out of the Bible and remains untold to parishioners. A major consideration for this may be the fear of losing the family structure, which remains so important to religion and society. 

From the beginning of time women have been viewed as the domestic partner. Their traditional duties primarily consist of tending to the home and children and making sure that the family is profiting in all ways it should. Therefore, the idea of giving women power frightened their male counterparts, particularly when it came to education. Educating women gave them further independence, and that independence may lead them to inquire about employment. This is precisely what men feared. “The day when misunderstanding the inferior occupation which nature has given her, women leave the home and take part in our battles, on this day a social revolution will begin and everything that maintains the sacred ties of the family will disappear,” said French author, Gustave Le Bon (p. 369). Men even went so far as to say that the brains of women were smaller and only encompassed domestic intelligence, and were therefore, deficient in regards to the workforce. They felt threatened by their female counterparts departure from the home. 

Yet, in contemporary society this is no longer a battle women must fight for. It was a long road to independence, but finally, by the 1920’s, women were swarming the workplace, engaging in sports, remaining single for longer, making the vote, and even practicing birth control, a more realistic threat to the traditional family (p. 391). Since then, women have only continued to make further strides toward equality, rightfully so.