This list could have been a lot
longer! Men aren’t the only ones with sexist attitudes against women. We ladies
were raised to believe these very same things about ourselves. As a society, we’ve
(ironically) worked together to keep women “in their place.” But it’s time for
that to change. We’ve seen the light—that women are, in fact, equal in value
with men and equal image-bearers of our Creator. Scripture is clear that we
have equal access to salvation, equal responsibility for the problems in the
world, and an equal calling to minister to, nurture, and rescue the lost. It’s
time to ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the lies and half-truths about women’s
value—and then confront them and reject them wherever they are found. Let us
replace that which marginalizes and divides with that which unites us in love
and respect. After all, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man,
there is neither male nor female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).
1. Stop asking permission.
Let’s say you
have a chance to hang out with your husband and you have an idea of something
fun you’d like to do. How do you bring it up to him? Do you ask him permission,
saying something like, “Hey, Joe, can we go see a movie tonight?” Or, “Is it
okay if we go see that movie tonight?” If so, did you realize that, just by the
way you’re phrasing the question, you are giving him the entire decision for what you hoped would be a joint activity? You’ve just posed a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, and
unless this is something you’ve both been wanting to do for a long time, he’s
most likely going to say ‘no’—simply because his mind is probably somewhere
else at the moment and it’s often hard for men to switch gears that fast. And,
when he does say no, you’ll probably feel like he’s being controlling and
doesn’t care about what you want—as if he denied you any say so (when you
actually denied yourself!). Often, the little power struggles that drive women
crazy are the ones we create ourselves when we subconsciously accept and
maintain a subservient position. Next time you want something, try a different
approach—an approach that solidifies your position as an equal. For example, “Hey, Joe, I was thinking we could go see a
movie tonight. What do you think?” See the difference? Instead of putting the
entire decision on him, you’re inviting him into a joint discussion as an equal
partner in the activity. You’re actually honoring him by, one, taking the
pressure off of him for coming up with every activity, two, by being willing to
hear what he would like to do, three, by letting him know you’re wanting to
spend more time with him, and four, by offering a chance to plan a
relationship-building experience together. Whether you end up at the movie or
having a quiet evening at home with some hot cocoa and a shared blanket, you’re
far less likely to resent him at the end of the night.
2. Stop apologizing for everything.
If you spill
hot coffee in someone’s lap or lose your temper and say something mean, by all
means, apologize. However, if you’re late getting dinner on the table because
you’ve been working hard all day, don’t apologize. You’ve done nothing wrong.
Instead, ask the family to pull together and help. That’s what families are
for. If you made a decision in good faith that your boss or husband doesn’t
happen to agree with, don’t feel like you have to apologize for it. Just
explain your reasons, if pressed, and/or offer to readjust where necessary.
But, as an adult, you have both the right and the responsibility to make choices,
recognizing that sometimes those choices may not be perfectly on point. That’s
just being human. It’s not a failing of womanhood. So, don’t apologize for not
having perfect judgment or insight in every situation. Just recognize the error
and adjust as necessary. As a general rule, try to limit your apologies to
moral failures or for causing someone harm (whether intentionally or not).
Otherwise, admit the error, but don’t apologize for it. Just fix it. To
apologize for every single failure is to reinforce the idea that it’s your job
to be perfect, that the person you’re apologizing to is your moral authority or
superior, and that, if you’re not perfect, then you’re somehow less valuable as
a human being. All of these are lies. Don’t perpetuate them.
3. Stop treating adults like children.
Women
(particularly, Christian women) often buy into the lie that it’s their job to
be everyone else’s “helper.” (In fact, the word mistranslated as “suitable helper” in Gen. 2:18 actually means
something more like man’s best match and mighty
defender/rescuer.) While there’s something beautiful about a person (males
and females) who has a servant’s heart, there’s something unhealthy and
misfocused about someone who doesn’t know how to value their own time and
resources or set healthy boundaries. Women tend to believe that, if there’s a
need, it’s their job to fix it. (Which doesn’t reflect the best opinion of what
the Holy Spirit is capable of….) This is particularly true when it comes to
their husbands. Here’s a tip: If you truly respect your husband, you won’t feel
the need to serve him hand and foot or come to his “rescue” every time he can’t
find the ketchup. He’s an adult. Stop treating him like a child. Let him figure
some things out for himself. He can do it. He can cook a meal. He can do a load
of laundry. He can take care of his own children for an afternoon. (It’s not
babysitting if it’s your own kids!) Stop jumping in and doing everything. Let
him join you in the responsibilities of caring for the family, and you could
even step up to the plate in areas of minor home repair and auto maintenance,
for example, as needed. The point is, if you want a love and respect-based
partnership instead of a servant/leader relationship with someone, don’t assume
the role of a servant. After all, you’re not really helping anyone when you
undermine their identity as adults by catering to them as if they’re toddlers.
So, go ahead and see yourself as worthy of respect, behave in a manner worthy
of respect, and you’re far more likely to gain respect. (And do the same for
others!)
4. Stop reducing your value to how you look.
Though
we hear this message often, far more often we hear the message that our bodies
(and, hence, ourselves) were designed to be little more than playthings for
men. That is a LIE! Don’t feed the lie by dressing in a way that invites
attention to your body (and yourself) as a sexual object. Rather, make yourself
beautiful from the inside out, recognizing that you were designed to be intelligent,
competent, compassionate, diligent, clever, wise, strong, and Christ-like. Of
course, at the end of the day, no matter what clothes you choose, it’s never
your responsibility to keep men from lusting. That’s on them. But you do have
the responsibility to recognize your own identity as an image-bearer of God and
to let that identity influence every aspect of your life. God has given you far
too many gifts for you to sift them down to just one—the way you look. When you
see yourself as more than a body and choose to build good character, others
will also begin to see the real YOU behind the pretty face.
5. Recognize and confront sexual harassment.
Looking back,
I’m appalled at how often I endured or ignored sexual harassment. Why did I do
it? Three really stupid reasons: One, I didn’t recognize it as sexual
harassment, Two, I didn’t feel entitled to better treatment, and/or Three, I
didn’t want to hurt the feelings of the person treating me like a piece of ___.
(You fill in the blank.) As a society, sexual harassment against women is
modeled and played out for us in so many different ways, we have started to see
it as normal, healthy behavior—as if sexual harassment and even assault is some
kind of legitimate courting ritual. It isn’t.
Sexual
harassment is the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks. So, if
a guy you’ve never met approaches you with a skeezy, “Hey, Baby,” you know this
interaction has already gone south. To him, you’re a sexual object, not a
person. Examples of sexual harassment include everything from wolf calls to
asking about your sexual history or fantasies to touching your hair, clothing
or body. For a more detailed description, go to: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/pdf/whatissh.pdf.
If someone (whether male or female) treats you this way, and you didn’t ask for
it or don’t want it, it’s harassment, and it’s illegal. That person is not your
friend. You are worth too much to become some disposable character in their
sexual fantasies. Don’t worry about their
feelings! (They obviously aren’t worried about yours!) Look them in the eye
and clearly tell them to stop. A simple, “Please don’t speak to me that way,”
should be enough, but if it isn’t, feel free to report them. But whatever you
do, don’t just take it.
6. Hold your head up, stand up straight, and look
people in the eye.
This might
sound simplistic, but body language and eye contact are surprisingly powerful. If
you carry yourself with an air of confidence, people will be less apt to think
of you as beneath them, and their behavior towards you will adjust to those impressions.
If you’re used to being walked on, overlooked, or marginalized, you have
probably learned to keep your head down, talk quietly, and avoid eye-contact.
It’s time to change that self-perception (because it’s based on a lie!) and
practice a healthy, pro-active self-confidence. You don’t have to be the smartest,
most attractive, or most talented person on the planet to stand alongside those
who think they are. Just being you—a fully human being with inherent worth—is enough!
No one—regardless of their posturing—is, at base, better than you. God made you in His own image to be YOU—a unique,
non-reproducible way of reflecting His image to the world. So, when you start
thinking about what you have to offer, don’t
ignore God’s voice on the subject! As a child of God, you have Christ! I
ask you, what better quality is there?
“Where is the wise man? Where
is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the
wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was
well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who
believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but
we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but
to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the
wisdom of God. Because
the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger
than men” (I Cor. 1:20-25).
7. If possible, kindly replace sexist comments
with egalitarian ones. Otherwise, flatly reject sexism.
Sexist
comments are so prevalent, we often fail to recognize them as such, but if they
go unnoticed, their power to marginalize and silence half the population will
continue unchecked. Because sexism is so prevalent in our society, both men and
women use sexist comments without even realizing it. So, if you notice a sexist
remark, simply kindly replace it with an egalitarian one. For example, if
asked, “Can I speak to the man of the house?” Answer, “We’re both in charge of
the house. How may I help you?” Or, if your pastor jokes, “I can see who wears
the pants in your marriage,” you can respond with, “Actually, we both wear
pants, we both care for the children, we both work hard, and we both love Jesus.”
Other
comments are harder to correct, such as those which deny you a voice or a
promotion or an education based on your gender, or those which qualify as
sexual harassment. For example, if you are told you won’t be considered for a
promotion because the men in the office wouldn’t be able to respect a pretty
woman as their boss, that’s grounds for lawsuit. Let’s say you’re cleaning a
bottom shelf and your boss quips, “That’s where I like you. On your knees.”
That’s sexual harassment. Also a lawsuit. Look them right in the eyes, calmly
but clearly point out the sexism, and tell them you expect more respect in
future. If they can’t comply, it’s time to find a good attorney.
8. Embrace your femininity!
Sadly,
many women have been made to feel so devalued that they have adopted masculine
behaviors. They may change everything from their clothing to their hairstyles
to the way they walk and talk—just to blend in with the men. But to reject your
own femininity is to implicitly accept and promote the idea that there’s something
wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with femininity or womanliness or
motherhood or sisterhood. You can wear a skirt (or not) and makeup (or not) and
you should still be able to expect respect and recognition. You can be
feminine, react in a way a woman would react, think in a way a woman would
think—all without having to adjust it or apologize for it. Let’s say you’re
sitting in a meeting where the plight of orphans is being discussed. You tear
up because you identify with the trauma these children are experiencing. A man
looks at you and says, “Are you going to be okay? Can you continue discussing
this topic?” You can respond with, “The fact that I’m not okay with children being abandoned means I’m the perfect person
to discuss this topic.” Don’t believe or perpetuate the notion that womanhood
and femininity is somehow weaker or less capable or less valuable than
masculinity. There is a great deal of power—life-changing, life-embracing
power!—in the gifts women possess.
