Arnemuiden Women

1. Arnemuiden

Arnemuiden and its social context

Arnemuiden is a small town in the province of Zeeland, located in the municipality of Middleburg in what was known as the island of Walcheren. It has around 5400 inhabitants and before becoming part of the city of Middleburg it was an independent village with its own city council. The distinctiveness of the village is that it has a fishing fleet even though it is not geographically located by the seaside. The Arnemuiden fleet has around 12 fishing boats, all moored in the nearby port of Flushing or Vlissingen (in Dutch), however fishermen families are still living in Arnemuiden and have a “fisherman’s life style”. Historically the town originated by the sea side however due to territorial adjustments in the topography of the island, it is now far away from the sea but continues having the heritage and identity of a fishing village. Arnemuiden is a very conservative town in which roles between men and women are dictated by their religious affiliation. Protestant religion believes are strictly followed by the majority of community members, this means that traditional roles are the norm regarding women in the household as the carer and childbearing responsibilities, while men has to go out and work as the main breadwinner. Until very resent the town was mainly made by members of the same family, however in recent years people from neighbouring towns and even from abroad have arrived, it is changing the towns geneology.

Social life in Arnemuiden

In Arnemuiden the majority of of people has a strong religious faith and in many occasions live revolves around activities developed in the church creating a close-knit community neighbourhood. The church represents a social space in which people get together to pray and to express affection for each other in a collective manner. Most churches have a number of activities especially during the autumn and winter. Social connectedness starts in the church since early life, through the attendance to Sunday school and club meetings for children while teenagers (from 12 until about 18 years old) attend confirmation classes. The adults developed bible study groups, sometimes tailored only for men or women. In the same way the church also organise activities for the elder people., . Social life manifest in the affiliation to a club, most people in Arnemuiden are member of social groups or society and carry out voluntary work. There is several sport clubs (football, korfball, tennis, table tennis) of which some have more than 350 members. Cultural activities play an important role in the maintenance of informal connections, for instances there are a harmony orchestra, a bird society, a pigeon society, a historical society and a scouting society. All this groups play a very important role in the sustenance of social networks in the community.

Social Values

In Arnemuiden community members consider family and friends as the most important social value. These manifests in the way people tend to help each other by taking care of each other children or by taking care of the elder or sick family members. The Dutch social welfare state provides for basic needs such as health and unemployment subsidy, this is covered by the national system.