Judaism and Women part 1

When i was in college in the late '60s, the feminist movement was just beginning. Ongoing debates were common in and out of class, as to the nature of femininity. Do women think and react differently from men by nature, or because the two sexes are raised differently? Are women more nurturing, men more aggressive, because of training and societal expectations, or is it in our genetic makeup? Today, science has proven that we are, in fact, very different. Much, if not most, of the strife we see in relationships, is because men expect women to react like men, while being frustrated when they don't; with women being frustrated by men's inability to "understand". Judaism has always been aware of this fact, and has assigned different duties and functions to each gender, appropriate to their particular strengths.. Sometimes, however, it is not readily apparent whether a particular rule is halachah, or simply a cultural norm of a certain time and place. If it is a cultural norm, can it be changed, or is it part of Jewish tradition at that point? Some of the conflicts and contradictions in this area in general society have their parallels in the Jewish world. Feminism has fought long and hard to see that women are taken seriously,both at home and in the work place. They have established that a woman can do the same jobs as men, and need to be paid the same wages. Women refuse to be objectified. Yet, some feminists have fought for the "right" to expose as much of their bodies as they wish; or, more correctly, as Madison Avenue tells them they should wish. In New York City, where I live, women have won the legal right to go topless. Does this make men take them more seriously? Why don't we judge men's appearances and value by how much skin they show? Similarly, women have bought the mixed message of the need to be a Super Mom, while judging their self worth by their success in a career. Jewish women in modern society, are faced with the fact that, unlike in the past when Jewish life centered around the home, today's Jewish community centers around the synagogue, which was not historically the province of women. Should women have greater, or even equal, place in synagogue services? Should we be examining what roles are permitted according to halachah, and making innovations, or should we be exploring no ways to understand traditional roles? Should more effort be expended in putting Judaism back into the home? These questions are "out there", but many people wish they would just "go away". They won't. There are those in favor of making a new Orthodoxy in which women are free to take on traditionally male roles to the extent the halachah allows. Others feel that change is rarely a good thing in a system that has thrived for over three thousand years. Just because something is permissible, doesn't mean we need to do it. On the other hand, are there aspects of custom that are, in fact, being improperly used by men who wish to maintain their fathers' concept of propriety...and power?These are delicate question, all with far reaching implications. Let me say that I consider myself a feminist, but not an nihilist. I don't believe in destroying everything in the hopes that something better will evolve. But I also think that "we've always done it this way" is not the answer for most issues. Women make up half the Jewish People. Many of the wisest and creative people I know are women. How can their talents and abilities be harnessed for the betterment of the world, our People..and themselves? Some of you are aware that I was briefly a moderator on another group dedicated to women's issues. There was another rabbi moderating as well. Whatever I wrote, he would come back to "custom trumps everything". That puts folklore over sources. To me, that is just not Judaism. But neither is the alternative of ignoring what has always been.
In this series I hope to analyse this question from a halachic perspective, an historical perspective, a sociological perspective, as well as a spiritual perspective.