Abstract:
Stories of the calling of female ministers in the Dutch
Reformed Church played out over a period of approximately
107 years. The folk mother discourse, which
silenced women’s voices in public, developed in the
Afrikaner community during this period.
It is evident that female ministers in the Dutch Reformed
Church have generally not participated actively in the
debate on the admission of women to specific offices.
Most of the contributors to this study experience some discomfort
with matters of gender and feminism. As in the folk
mother discourse, they leave the talking to others.
In this article the development of the folk mother discourse
is examined and female ministers are asked to examine
their experiences in this regard. The central question is:
What can the church do to help women take coresponsibility
in the gender debate.