Dec 1, 2015
Rabbanut to treat women equally
The Rabbinical Council of the Rabbanut has announced a decision that is a change of policy regarding child support in divorce cases.
The new policy is that mothers can also be considered responsible for child support payments, and it won't just be automatically be put on the father, as it has until now.
From now on the beis din will consider the financial situation of the mother (e.g. job, savings of her own, etc.) when making their decision.
The Rabbanut explains their change in policy by saying this will lessen the number of situations in which the husband refuses to give a gett. They say that sometimes the husband refuses to give a gett out of concern that he will have to pay a lot in child support. Taking into account the women and having her possibly need to pay child support, or part of it, will make men more willing to give the gett.
Another claim made by the Rabbanut is that they are bringing the system more into modern times, as the family financial situation and makeup has changed a lot since the mid-1900s.
Some womens organizations have protested this change and wonder how the Rabbanut can say they are making this change in order to protect and help the women.
I guess this is another form of "shivyon bnetel".
It makes sense to me. Today, women work and support the family, often equally to the men and sometimes much more, much more than they used to. Why should all the child payments fall on the father and none on the mother?
And womens groups that fight for equality are usually right. Women deserve equality, without any question. But with equality comes equal responsibility. I think it is high time the women were considered equally in the proceedings of a divorce and not automatically given the upper hand.
I hope it also helps lessen the severity of the agunah situation, though that claims seems to me to be a cop-out excuse and not realistic. From the stories we hear about, most agunah cases are because the man holds back while he demands ridiculous payments from the wife, or just because he doesn't want to divorce her.
This is a start. Now the Rabbanut should work to treat women equally in many other spheres of life as well!
The new policy is that mothers can also be considered responsible for child support payments, and it won't just be automatically be put on the father, as it has until now.
From now on the beis din will consider the financial situation of the mother (e.g. job, savings of her own, etc.) when making their decision.
The Rabbanut explains their change in policy by saying this will lessen the number of situations in which the husband refuses to give a gett. They say that sometimes the husband refuses to give a gett out of concern that he will have to pay a lot in child support. Taking into account the women and having her possibly need to pay child support, or part of it, will make men more willing to give the gett.
Another claim made by the Rabbanut is that they are bringing the system more into modern times, as the family financial situation and makeup has changed a lot since the mid-1900s.
Some womens organizations have protested this change and wonder how the Rabbanut can say they are making this change in order to protect and help the women.
I guess this is another form of "shivyon bnetel".
It makes sense to me. Today, women work and support the family, often equally to the men and sometimes much more, much more than they used to. Why should all the child payments fall on the father and none on the mother?
And womens groups that fight for equality are usually right. Women deserve equality, without any question. But with equality comes equal responsibility. I think it is high time the women were considered equally in the proceedings of a divorce and not automatically given the upper hand.
I hope it also helps lessen the severity of the agunah situation, though that claims seems to me to be a cop-out excuse and not realistic. From the stories we hear about, most agunah cases are because the man holds back while he demands ridiculous payments from the wife, or just because he doesn't want to divorce her.
This is a start. Now the Rabbanut should work to treat women equally in many other spheres of life as well!
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Why does it not surprise me that there are women's groups that do not want equal responsibilities, only equal rights?
ReplyDeletewhile I agree with the sentiment, as I made the point in the post, it might be somewhat unfair at this point to dump on them the equal responsibility considering that at this point in time the Rabbanut does not give them equal rights.
ReplyDeleteit might be a "chicken or egg" situation. I guess they cant really happen at the same time, as issues are complex, and both should happen
Well, if religious/haredi women are not allowed to educate themselves in order to earn parnasah to support the children they are raising without husbands, and those husbands do not pay support, how are they going to afford to pay child support when that is dumped on them? You're right, they are not given equal rights in the areas that are necessary to them. How many graphic artists and babysitters do we need? Keeping them uneducated is keeping them barefoot in the kitchen! Deep deep down, men are just afraid of women. On Prohibition and Banishment
ReplyDeleteWe should not make this into a man/woman thing in this politically correct age. It's just common sense that in this 21st century, some women earn more than the husband and if that is so, she should definitely pay for child support. If she doesn't earn and has no money, even if educated, because she is taking care of her children, he, definitely, is obligated to support his children. The Rabbanut happens to be correct in this matter.
ReplyDeleteBs''d
ReplyDeleteBaruh Hashem, Yaacov Avinu with his 4 mothers of his children, gave to every one of them a tent on her own, enough food and care, so that the children 12+1=13, could grow into the Shvatim they did and not follow the empty evil path of Essau, who did not work but got wives that work for him and did not take care of his children, but gave him AMALEK!
Baruh Hashem, our IMAHOT got the chance to want to give their husbands children even knowing that b'leida can be dangerous and they can die in birth like Rahel imeinu did. Baruh Hashem they kept the strong rules of Jewish Family where the TIKKUN of Jewish man is to work hard and take care of his wife/children, where the TIKKUN of the Jewish woman is to take care of her children. Baruh Hashem we got the chance to become AM ISRAEL, with values from the TORAH until now.
Now hopefuly the time came of mashiah Tzidkeinu to save us from the ways of gentiles.
CHODESH ADAR ALEF TOV LE KULAM!