Will you take thee... to be your lawfully wedded....

I have been in a new role for about 3 weeks already. I have been a teacher of an unusual subject - Family Studies. I am not sure how many countries actually have this subject in the high school curriculum. In short, these lessons allow students think and discuss different issues which are somehow connected to families and relationships between lovers, marriage, their sexuality, intimacy and psychosocial factors.

Today we watched documentary "Post-Soviet stories: testmonies of women in different post-soviet contries"

First one's - 2 stories from Armenia had opening bite which included these lines said by a priest during the wedding ceremony:

(What vows to women and men give in Armenia?)

Will you promise to be the master of your wife till the death does you apart?

Will you promise to be obidient to your husband till the end of your life?

And this summed up the way relationships and power is seen in Armenia. The story "women's happiness or men's dignity" allows us to peak in the life and values of 2 women - who represent conventional and liberal views. The title alludes to the exclusive and contradictive nature of these two situations.

One other interesting thing was that Europe was referred to as polluted and complex-driven culture and society. That reminded me that I came across the same stereotype in Egypt. Where lies the truth? What relationships support the dignity of women and men? Are men supposed to be superior to women just because this is their natural place? Is it a threat to man's dignity if a women becomes a breadwinner of the family or has "higher social status"?

The other extreme - when men take a child-care leave from work and stay home and raise children while their wives bring home the cash is narrated in another story "who will sing a lulliby?" where two men of the Ukraine enjoy paternity leave. 

(7 films from 7 countries; 7 testimonies about women's lives in Post-Soviet space, 2006 Gender Montage)