INTEGRITY - Vol.7, No.12 - The Role of Woman

Sep 29, 2026

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A Catholic lay publication issue exploring how contemporary debates about women’s roles in society, legislation, and the family reflect a deeper need for a coherent philosophy of woman. The editorial surveys competing claims about superiority, inequality, and “equal rights,” then calls for a Christian approach marked by active but detached discernment. The main article frames woman’s distinct feminine nature as contemplative, symbol-grounded, and capable of healing humanity through wisdom and inner renewal.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages52

Reading Time1 h 20 min

AccessFree to download

Editorial

The Role of Woman

People Are People Are People

Edith Stein on Womanhood

The Latter Day

Be Present!

Book Reviews

INTEGRITY Sept mb r 1953-254 R.C.Hessler452 E.Shadbolt St.Lake Orion,Mici. T HI S IS SU E:WO M A N CO N T E N T S 1 EDITORIAL THE ROLE OF WOMAN 2 By GERALD VANN,O.P.- PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE By MARION MITCHELL STANCIOFF·12EDITH STEIN ON WOMANHOOD By JOHN M.OESTERREICHER -21THE LATTER DAY By ELAINE MALLEY29 BE PRESENT! By ABIGAIL Q.McCARTHY36BOOK REVIEWS44 INTEGRITY is published by lay Catholies anddedicated to the fask of discovering the newsynthosis of RELIGION and LIFE for our times. September 1953 Vol.7,No.12 Published monthly by Integrity Publishing Co.,Inc.,157 East 38th StreetNew York 16,N.Y.,MU-5-8125.Edited by Dorothy Dohen.Re-entered as Second Class Matter May 11,1950 at thePost Office in New York,N.Y.under the Actof March 3,1879.All single copies 254each;yearly subscriptions:Domestic $3.00,Canadian $3.50,Foreign $4.00. INTEGRITY is indexed in THE CATHOLIC PERIODICAL INDEX E D ITO R IA L VERY week—or so it has seemed for the past fewmonths—a new book or article is published onwoman.Some try to prove that she is superior toman;others hold that she is forced to be inferiorbecause she is denied sexual and economic equalitywith man.Some loudly proclaim the happiness ofthe modern woman;others admit the fact that mod-ern woman is not happy.Some say a career and perfect equality with her husband are necessary for the marriedwoman;others discover through experience that the home canhave only one head and a degree of subordination is necessary forthe common good of the family.It has seemed as if anyone cap-able of holding a pen has wanted to give his views on womanbefore Dr.Kinsey says the final word on the subject. In the field of legislation too it is obvious that the positionof modern woman is a question in the forefront.Should womenwith small children be allowed to join the WACS?(The husbandof a woman judge answered yes,and testified that the existingprohibition was discriminatory.)Should the equal rights amend-ment be approved,so that women will have perfect equality withmen?(And,comes the vexing question,does "equal”mean "iden-tical,"and would women lose the special laws that protect themin industry?)A bill is introduced to allow a married woman whois working to get a forty-dollar-a-week exemption from incometaxes to allow her to pay someone to take care of her children.(Fine for widows,it is argued;but is it discriminating against thehusband whose wife is staying home to care for their children?)These are just a few examples within the past several months thatshow the necessity of having a philosophy of woman which isneither fuzzily sentimental nor archaic. Our present Holy Father has repeatedly urged Christianwomen to take an active role in building a new civilization.Todo this it would seem that they must take a lively but detachedinterest in all this discussion of their position;neither acceptingwithout examination any and every new theory or piece of legis-lation that comes along,nor limiting their attention to the purelyfamilial and spiritual with the attitude that nothing modern nortemporal is any concern of theirs. THE EDITOR # The Role of Woman Gerald Vann,O.P.:Of all the trends characteristic of the worldtoday—the increasing loss of wisdom and vision,of stillness,ofnature,of the stability of home and family life,of symbol—itseems true to say that they represent something particularly aliento the nature of woman. Alien,indeed,to the feminine nature in all of us,men andwomen alike;the argument has been precisely that our troublesspring from the over-emphasis on the masculine in our world,the neglect of the feminine.Why then,it might be asked,singleout woman in particular?Is she regarded as being particularly toblame?The answer to this latter question is of course an em-phatic no;nothing could be more foolish,in any case,than totry to decide which of the two sexes is the more to blame....Itis not a question here of blame at all;but of opportunity.Prec

FAQs

What does the editorial argue about the public discussion on women?

It argues that recent literature and legislation about women are polarized, and that Christian women need a philosophy neither sentimentally modern nor archaically restrictive.

How does the main article describe woman’s nature in relation to activism?

It portrays woman by nature as contemplative rather than activist, closer to symbol and wisdom learned through body and motherhood.

What explanation does the article give for the “masculinized” trend among women?

It attributes the shift to circumstances like wartime demands and to a misunderstanding of equality that pushes women toward masculine patterns and blurs sex differences.

Sep 29, 2026

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