Explore the articles below to deepen your understanding of issues related to women’s equality within the family, church, and the world:
JANUARY 30, 2018 • Stephanie Dyrness Lobdell
How second-generation gender bias makes it difficult for women leaders to thrive
Let’s be clear. We’re not calling out men for evil intent and taking names. There are no torches lit. Women and men both appear to be oblivious to this bias, perhaps aware that something is amiss but with no apparent ability to name it or amend it. Nevertheless, there is something holding women back.
To help us see this clearly, Ibarra, Ely, and Kolb named a few telltale signs of second-generation gender bias. Some examples include:
- A culture in which stereotypical masculine traits (assertiveness, loud, directive) are presumed to be the “natural” disposition of a leader, thus eliminating many women from consideration. (However, in a tragic twist, women that do exhibit these traits are often deemed “unlikable” and thereby eliminated from consideration as well. Classic double bind.)
- A culture in which women have limited access to reputable and established sponsors in their field. Research shows time and again that people in positions of power tend to seek out up-and-comers that remind them of themselves, thus eliminating most women.
- A culture in which job expectations are highly gendered. This would include requiring a person to be available almost 24/7, odd work hours, and major geographical moves for the organization. Because women still carry more than half of the home/child workload, and because they are more likely to have a partner with his own career (unlike their male counterparts), women do not put themselves forward for consideration. . . .
“When there’s no name for a problem, you can’t solve it,” says Kimberlé Crenshaw. She spoke at TEDWomen 2016 on October 27 in San Francisco. (Photo: Marla Aufmuth / TED)
The reality is that African-American women face discrimination through both their race and gender. Spheres of social identities — from race to gender to sexuality to disability — operate on multiple levels, creating multidimensional experiences. This casts a shadow on the African-American women who have lost their lives to systemic racism in the past few years.
How strongly do you associate family with females and career with males? Take the Implicit Association Tests (IAT) conducted by Harvard University, particularly the Gender-Career IAT, to assess your implicit biases:
Though Hilary was only eight years old, she was old enough to notice the “masculine feel” of her church. As the congregation ended their prayers with an “Amen,” Hilary blurted
Micah 6:8 contains three seemingly simple commands: do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Justice-doing is meant to be a central tenet of lived faith. And yet, humans
I self-identify as a womanist biblical scholar who performs biblical interpretation from a womanist perspective. A womanist perspective unapologetically prioritizes black women’s experiences, voices, traditions, artifacts, and concerns as legitimate
This is a list based on Peggy McIntosh’s now famous article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” In her article, McIntosh examines how racial privilege impacts her everyday life, expectations,
The news coming out of Willow Creek Community Church recently has been nothing short of tragic. It has been painful to hear the stories of the women who were victimized,
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month or DVAM. Domestic violence is a pressing problem every day and month of the year. But in October, we set aside time to discuss
Faith Communities Today 2010 found 12% of congregations in the US had a female as senior or sole ordained leader. For evangelical congregations, it’s 9%.
Women and Leadership
Pew Research Center
Public says women are equally qualified, but barriers persist.
If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions about this lesson, please let us know in the box below.
