I am a Feminist

I am a Feminist.

I am also a stay-at-home mom. And I’m pro-life.

Many might say I am a paradox. Considering the popularized feminist movement depicted on news outlets today, you might question these statements.

When you look at feminism, at its core, you see that it is about valuing human life—valuing a woman’s life. In our history, and in many women’s present, women have been seen as objects. Women have been told that our voices do not matter, and that we are the property of the men in our lives. Our only worth was in our dowry and childbearing. Our names were unimportant—unless she did something so out of the ordinary that it got men’s attention.

Jesus challenged that. He named the ordinary women in His life. He gave them a voice and saw their importance.

Women are also image-bearers of God. God is not a man. God is not a woman. God is God—both feminine and masculine traits are evident in His nature, and we would do well to value both.

Women are not the same as men. We were not created the same way. We have some similarities and many differences. Our bodies are different, our minds are wired differently, our hormones are different. We hold the other puzzle piece to understanding (to our human capacity) God’s nature.

Just as there are a wide variety of men, there are a wide variety of women. Not all women are made to have kids. Not all women are made to work outside the home. Not all women like frilly, girly stuff, and not all women like adventurous, sporty stuff. We don’t belong in a box. All women are different. All women are valuable and valued by God.

Men are valuable, too. Humans are valuable. Men have been told their value from the beginning of creation. This idea is still relatively new for women.

Women have had to fight to get their voices heard—to vote, to be able to escape abuse, to have an education, to join the workforce. We take these new rights for granted because we’ve been born into a society that already had them in place by the time we could access them. Some women are not that fortunate. Many women may not yet understand that with these new rights come responsibilities—to the men and other women in our lives.

We have a voice—and the responsibility to use that voice to build up and not tear down, and speak out for the voiceless.

We have access to an education—and the responsibility to use it well.

We have the ability to escape abusive situations—and the responsibility to show others the way out.

We have jobs—and the responsibility to work hard in our professions.

We’ve come a long way in our society, but there is still room for growth. Sometimes, the women in are the breadwinners of the family—equal pay would be beneficial. Maternity leave could be GREATLY improved. A separate study of women’s bodies in the medical field (because we are not the same as men and don’t react to treatments the same) is extremely important…to name a few areas of improvement.

I do not want to be treated the same as men. I want to valued for who I am—a woman.