Antiquated

Have you watched this?

or this?

or this?

and found yourself completely frustrated with the complete disempowerment of women when it comes to their inheritance and property rights? I mean how completely crappy, unfair, and backwards is it that if a man does not have a son then all his wealth and property can and will be turned over to some distant perhaps completely unknown relative while his daughters may very well be left destitute. 

In Downton Abbey, it was both frustrating and sad for the family that the eldest daughter Mary was unable to inherit the property of her father the earl simply because she was a woman. I am sure I was not the only only who was surprised that this was still going on in England in 1912 (that is only 100 years ago). We had electricity and telephones before women were allowed to vote in the United States or inherit the title/property of their father in England. 

It was bad enough that is was going on in the late 1700s when Jane Austen wrote about the Dashwoods whose greedy and selfish half brother and sister-in-law left them with practically nothing of their fathers rather abundant wealth. 

Or when Mrs. Bennett worries to herself (and anyone who will listen) about whether her daughters will find suitable husbands. While this seems both silly and trivial to us today, because of the laws of the land she was genuinely worried about her daughters welfare. She did not want to marry her daughters off to get them out of the house or because she was grandbaby hungry. She knew all too well that upon the death of her husband, her entire family would be turned out of their house and the bulk of their fortune passed on to their cousin Mr. Collins. 

It was a harsh reality that even in the most developed of civilizations  women simply were not equal to men in a myriad of ways in the not so distant past. 

But did you know that while this seems ancient history to us today, it is still the reality of many women around the world? 

(for good information all in one place about this issue go here)

The following quotes are taken from "Women's Rights to Land and Property" by Marjoelin Benschop.

While lack of security of tenure affects millions of people across the world, women face added risks and deprivations: in Africa and South-Asia especially, women are systematically denied their human rights to access, own, control or inherit land and property. The vast majority of women cannot afford to buy land, and usually can only access land and housing through male relatives, which makes their security of tenure dependent on good marital and family relations. At the same time, millions of women in Asia, Africa and Latin America depend critically on land for a livelihood.

Globally, an estimated 41% of women headed households live below the locally defined poverty line and close to one third of the world’s women is homeless or lives in inadequate housing. Exclusion of women from access to land pushes them towards the cities, where they often join the ranks of the increasing number of women headed households in slum areas. In Kenya, for example, where women head 70% of all squatter households, over 25% of women slum dwellers migrated from their rural homes because
of land dispossession.

Alarming numbers of cases are reported of in-laws having evicted widows upon the death of their husband. A widow is not considered to be part of the clan and is expected to return to her parents and/or fend for herself.

There still are countries, such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho and Kenya, where discrimination in customary and personal law matters (such as inheritance) is still permitted in their current Constitution.

This article was written in 2004 so some of the information may be a little outdated, but this is still going on. As a woman today I know I am empowered. I can work where I want, chose where to live, own land in my own name, and know that if anything happens to my husband I will not be left with nothing. It is easy for me, in my small corner of the world, to feel as if gender inequality is a thing of the past. 

However, it certainly is not. 

Where women are denied access to their land, the family is disadvantaged in many ways. Studies have show that when women in developing countries have secure rights to their land:

• Family nutrition and health improves;
• Women become less vulnerable to contracting HIV/AIDS;
• HIV-positive women may be better able to cope with the consequences of AIDS;
• Women may be less likely to be victims of domestic violence;
• Children are more likely to receive an education and stay in school longer;
• Women may have better access to micro-credit;
• Women’s participation in household decision-making in increases.

Info above from Landesa Center for Women.

Even in some countries where women are legally supposed to have their property rights, they still do not.

Some more sources for useful information if you are interested:

USAID

African Studies Quarterly

Oxfam

And landesa.org has some great information about current problems and how you can get involved. 

Downton

I am obsessed these days. Season 1 available on Netflix and Hulu and Season 2 on pbs.com. Check it out! You won't regret it.

Mormon Thoughts on Lent

I've been noticing a lot of Facebook posts lately about people deciding what to give up for Lent. I am not Catholic and have never celebrated lent myself, and I think it is time that maybe I give it a try. But I am going to try it under my terms.

Lent is all about preparing yourself to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is meant to physically and spiritually draw yourself closer to your savior and God.  In my opinion, it is about humbling yourself while becoming a better person all at the same time. As Christians we are all trying to emulate our Savior Jesus Christ as perfectly as we can. And of course, none of us do so perfectly. But that certainly does not mean that we should not try. We all have our vices--whether it be alcohol, swearing, or maybe even watching too much television.

So my challenge to all you Lenters out there--find something meaningful to give up. Choose something that will be a true sacrifice or struggle, and something that if you achieve will help you come out the other side as a stronger and more perfect human being.

Not to offend, but does giving up soda or chocolate for 40 days really help you feel closer to God? Does it really require humble prayer to deny yourself that sugary soda for a little over a month?

Here are a few ideas I came up with for sacrifices that could really mean something:

• Gossiping
• Swearing
• Alcohol 
• Smoking
• Inappropriate media (movies, television, etc.)
• Going to clubs
• Sex outside of marriage
• Social media or technology addictions (you know who you are)
• Bullying (for all you mean kids out there)
• Cheating (on tests, at work, etc.)
• Lying
• Stealing
• Living beyond your means (i.e. getting yourself in debt)
• Unhealthy or destructive relationships 

Many of these habits are things people should either break or do less of anyways--not to mention people truly enjoy these things and it would require REAL sacrifice to give them up. It would require effort and prayer, and if you can really do it for 40 days you would become a better person. You would see how much better your life would become without abusing alcohol or without a cigarette addiction. Can you imagine how much happier a work environment or a high school would be if everyone gave up gossip for Lent? You can take one step closer to become the perfect individual that Christ wants and knows you to be. 

In addition to giving things up, isn't it also perfectly feasible to add good things to your daily habits during lent like:

• Prayer
• Scripture study
• Exercise
• Quiet meditation
• Journal writing
• Healthy eating
• Volunteering
• Complementing others
• Calling an old friend or family member
• Attending all your Church meetings (whatever religion that may be) 
• Spending more quality time with you family (parents, siblings, children, spouse, etc.)
• Serving others
• Eat healthier, cook at home more
• Meaningful conversations
• Reading
• Uplifting music
• Donating to a charitable cause

I do believe that the sentiment of sacrificing something is the key ingredient of Lent. After all, itSimply adding good things is not enough. However, I also believe sacrificing something trivial is not enough either. In the long term what good have I really done myself if I give up my makeup, warm water, or shoes for a month? 

Yes, I will gain a greater appreciation for the thing I have given up, but will I have become a more kind, loving, patient, perfect individual? Will I know better how to turn to my Savior for help in times when I am really struggling with a problem or a decision? Will I better understand the sacrifice Jesus made by taking upon himself all our sins? 

Probably not.

Here is a Momron document all about Christ and our faith in Him. I highly recommend reading it.

Back in the South

It is quite amazing how life can throw a whole bunch of surprises at you all at once. I went from desperately searching for just one job offer--just one--to having two really great options. I really would have been satisfied with only one, because heaven knows I didn't think I would even get that much.

But I finally did. Good things really do come to those who wait! And those who keep going even though you keep getting told NO over, and over, and over. At least for me, I finally got a yes! And then another.

Then I was faced with a hard choice.

Nashville, Tennessee




or


Louisville, Kentucky



After a lot of thinking, pro con lists, praying, and deliberation Tony and I have come to a big decision!


wait for it ....













We're going to Nashville!!

In June! This decision is a little unexpected seeing as I was all but totally convinced to go in the other direction, but Nashville is definitely the best choice for us from almost every consideration. It feels good to know I'm heading back to Tennessee! It only took what 7 years?!