Work
Throughout
the years, the duties of the Jewish man were tied with religious work
and formal education. With this concentration of religious duties, women
were given the responsibility of aiding in the financial stability of
the family.
Even
though women had to contend with the financial pressure of the
household, they also had to deal with the domestic stress as well, which
entailed the cooking, the cleaning, and the raising of the children. The
husband was usually gone all day dealing with religious affairs, and as
a result, the women took charge of the house, including most social
family matters and public sphere business.
Thus,
the Jewish woman’s main career was taking care of the household. At face
value this may not seem to have any religious significance, especially
compared to the work of the men, however, that is not the case. The laws
of kashrut, for example, put religious elements into the everyday life
of Jewish women. According to Susan Starr Sered in her Women as Ritual
Experts, kashrut “sacrilizes women’s everyday life” by making them
prepare food a certain way to follow God’s will. While some may see this
as putting an unnecessary burden on Jewish women, many view this as
fulfilling - a type of worship that they can safely practice in their
domain.