What do the wives of the top guys, particularly the GB, do with themselves? Do they have "jobs" of some sort? Are they like uber-CO's wifes (boy, that raises some interesting mental images of nosey busy bodies)? While working on my writing project, it occured to me that I have no idea, and given the WTBS' view of women, I doubt they are given much of anything as far as official duties.
A question for former Bethelites
by JeffT 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Scott77
Jeff,
Good question. However, Iam surprised that you have been here since 6/4/2001 and have 4316 posts on your chest. This tells me that there is a right time to ask a question. To you, this is a right now of course. I wish you had asked that question long but its now to ten year. Wow. Its a learning lesson to me. That we think differently over time.
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undercover
Some of these have the makings for TV:
Desperate CO's Wives
or
True Housewives of Bethel Elders
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JeffT
Scott, I'm working on a novel. It's mostly done, but I am tweaking it a bit before submitting to a publisher. I'm writing a scene betwen one of the big dogs in my fictional religion and his wife. She is a VERY minor character and I haven't given much thought to what she does. It occured to me that I have no idea what the women at Bethel do. I don't think this question comes up much for JW's. Certainly I never thought about it while I was in, and since leaving my thinking about Bethel has been in regard to legal isssues and money, not day to day lives.
Edited to add, when I joined this board in 2001 I was already thirteen years post-JW. My most burning questions when I left got answered at the Seattle Public Library, as the internet didn't exist. Those books didn't cover this either.
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sir82
I've never been a Bethelite, but anyone who lives there has an assignment. Most women work in housekeeping, or sewing, or laundry, or in the kitchen. A few are secretaries and maybe a handful of others do some sort of menial office work.
You know, whatever boring dreary tasks that are too low for even teenage noobie Bethel boys to handle.
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blondie
I knew Bethelite wives who worked in drafting, accounting, secretaries in engineering, driving big trucks, mowing grass on those standing up mowers, working in the kitchen (!), painting, working on printing machinery.
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leavingwt
What do the wives of the top guys, particularly the GB, do with themselves? Do they have "jobs" of some sort?
Yes, they have jobs. They work in the various departments. Unless, of course, they are too old or frail to work.
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JWoods
I have been trying to remember what Betty Dunlap told me she did there. I think it may have been office work of some kind, or perhaps housekeeping.
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BurnTheShips
What JWoods said.
Let me add, it is a very difficult thing to see, that intelligent women relegate themselves to cleaning rooms and toilets for many years, when they could have done much more satisfying work in their lives.
BTS
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JWoods
One thing to remember on this thread (at least back in the 1960s, 1970s when I knew about Bethel) was that women were a distinct minority in Bethel - practically nobody was permitted to stay there and be married. The Bethel rank & file were all unmarried young men.
For sure it was less than 10% married women, probably far less than that in reality.
The percentages may have increased over the past 30 years, though.