Although female believers in their 50s and 60s, currently active in the church, were mostly the respondents. Young female believers in their 20s and 30s responded, this survey clearly confirmed that there is a huge difference in perception between the generations of female believers.
Among young women believers in their 20s and 30s, 76% of the respondents said, "Even if you are married, you do not necessarily have to have children," and when it comes to raising children, 90% of the respondents said that "fathers and mothers have the same responsibility to take care of their children."
They had a high level of agreement on women serving in various positions in the church, such as pastoral council presidents and Eucharistic ministers, and even as female deacons and priests. However, their participation in actual church activities was low, and there was a strong perception that the current church culture is discriminatory against women.
On the other hand, female believers who are currently serving in parishes are mainly elderly people in their 60s or older, who work diligently in religious life but generally have low female awareness. Although female believers in their 60s and older are tired of continuing to work in a situation where there are not enough volunteers, about 75% of the respondents said: "There is no difficulty for female believers to work in the Korean Catholic Church."
To revitalize the apostolate of the laity, many wondered why there should be separate women groups when it's male believers who are less active. If the perception gap between young female believers in their 20s and 30s, sensitive to gender equality culture, and those in their 60s who do not care or agree on the issue, it is difficult to find consensus or communication between them.
The writer had an opportunity to talk about the reasons why young women in their 20s and 30s are not seen in the church. A young woman said that it is still difficult and painful to talk about women's human rights and equality in society. If she talks about issues related to women's rights in the church, she'll be criticized for being against the teachings of the church, so she's afraid to speak frankly and doesn't feel safe. She said that she had no choice but to distance herself from a community where she could not honestly share her thoughts and worries.
At the discussion a father of two teenage daughters who was reading Bible stories to his daughters was asked by them: "If a woman comes from a rib of a man, is she equal to the man 1+1?" A participant in her 70s agreed, saying: "I had the same thoughts when I was a teenager." Suddenly, I wondered whether even senior female believers, who are now elderly, had their own problems as women when they were young.
In this survey, among young women believers in their 20s and 30s and those in their 60s and older, it was the women in their 40s and 50s were more likely to work and sympathize with a culture of gender equality at home and in society. And even within the church, many people worked hard in their own way of living their faith. She believes that it should be a ‘Child-Parents Association’ with parents rather than a ‘Child-Mothers Association’ where only women are active.
If these women believers in their 40s and 50s show the various aspects of the female lay apostolate, wouldn't it be a bridge if those in their 60s and older were to meet more often with the younger generation, connecting the two generations with big differences in perception?
Just as a young Mary, pregnant by the Holy Spirit, went to visit her relative, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with an older body, comforting each other, sharing courage, and exchanging joy, so today's church women also across generations need to narrow the gap in their perceptions of each other and feel warmth in their relationship. She looks forward to the day this will be the reality.
