Martha understood the place of women in their society. Like Sarah
in the first reading, women were to bear children and cook the
meals. They were to clean the house, like Martha was doing, and
they were not to sit at the feet of the master educating
themselves, like Mary was doing. Martha demands that Mary be made
to ‘play the woman,’ but Jesus will not go along with
the stereotype: “Mary has chosen the better portion and she
shall not be deprived of it.”
How much women have suffered over the centuries because of the
perception of their proper role! How much they have filled up in
their own flesh “what is lacking in the sufferings of
Christ!”
We are called by God to a different way. “He who does
justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” Justice to
women is life in the presence of God: justice in the home, justice
in the school, justice in the marketplace, justice in the business
world, justice in the church. “She shall not be deprived of
it”: such is the firm declaration of the Savior of men and
women.
Sixty percent of all women work in only ten occupations, and most new jobs for women are in areas with low pay and limited chances of advancement.
Many women suffer discrimination in wages, salaries, job classifications, promotions, and other areas. As a result, they find themselves in jobs that have low status, little security, weak unionization, and few fringe benefits.
Such discrimination is immoral and efforts must be made to overcome the effects of sexism in our society.U.S. Bishops, Economic Justice or All, 1986: 179