Kristin (whose new site I designed) tagged me. So…here goes:
Five Things Feminism Has Done for Me
- It has opened up my view of God: It’s pretty safe to say that growing up and through most of college, I would have thought it heresy to refer to God as anything but “HE” (probably all caps too). While of course there are still great debates over this, and over the use of inclusive or gender-neutral language…reading feminist theologians and having conversations with feminist seminarians has only served to enlarge my view of God.
- It has enabled me to marry a brilliant and independent woman who constantly challenges me (whether I like it or not!) and enjoys putting together IKEA furniture more than I do (and might even be better at it). I married a woman who had more tools than I did; now, whether this says more about her feminism or my masculinity is probably open for debate. But feminism has certainly made my marriage more interesting.
- It has caused me to think more critically about my masculinity – and what it means for me to be a man in the 21st century. I believe it should (and hopefully does to some degree already) look much different than it did in the 80’s, the 60’s and certainly the 50’s. As society and culture continues to change, and as the gender roles continue to become more fluid and organic, men need to be continually aware of their masculinity and how it supports, encourages, rubs up against, conflicts with, challenges and is challenged by feminism.
- It has caused me to have to be a better cook – because, contrary to notions I had of marriage when I was a little kid…women DON’T do all of the cooking anymore…
- It has caused me to become more aware of the suffering and oppression of women – which has led me into becoming more aware of the suffering and oppression of so many others in our society (those with physical and mental handicaps, brothers and sisters of the LGBT community, those stuck in poverty, the homeless, anyone whose skin isn’t white…there are too many to mention).
What has feminism done for you?