The concept of ‘Big Man” is one that is explored extensively in Chapter 8 as it discusses the process of choosing leaders in chiefdoms. Through this concept leaders will usually seek to acquire a network of friends and wealth that will help them gain approval as a leader. This practice is believed to be traditional, but there is one such country that continues to embrace this process, Papua New Guinea (PNG). The southwestern Pacific country recently held its national elections in mid 2017. However, the event was plagued with violence and chaos in the country throughout the electoral campaign and even after the confirmation of the results (Wyeth, 2017). As the position is not hereditary, the individuals seeking political office utilize persuasion, empathy, and resources to gain support within their tribe. This has led to over 21 parties and 14 independents in the newly elected parliament (Wyeth, 2017). Furthermore, women for the first time in over 25years have not been elected into public office a cause for concern for the future of the country.
In Chapter 9, gender roles in particular cultures are identified as the activities and tasks that are assigned to each sex. In this case, women will serve particular duties while men take up alternative ones. Religion is one of the major sources of gender roles identifying which duty and position each sex should hold. According to Boorstein (2018) points out that the teachings of the Bible have been used to distort gender roles and have instead been used to promote sexism. For example, the traditional conservative will identify the role of women to be around the home and motherhood. It is such belief that prompted Southern Baptist leader, Paige Patterson, to advocate for abused women to remain with their husbands while praying by their beds and submitting in every way possible. The misinterpretation of the Bible creates negative behaviors that lead to discrimination and inequality in society.
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References
Boorstein, M. (2018) Amid a Southern Baptist scandal, some evangelical women say the Bible’s gender roles are being distorted to promote sexism . The Washington Post, Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/05/22/amid-a-southern-baptist-scandal-some-evangelical-women-say-the-bibles-gender-roles-are-being-distorted-to-promote-sexism/?utm_term=.a76bef123a2a
Wyeth, G. (2017) Big Men, No Women: Politics in Papua New Guinea . The Diplomat, Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2017/08/big-men-no-women-politics-in-papua-new-guinea/
