I had to stop reading the paper today until I calmed down. Despite there being so much about which to be sad, with the devastating events in France, ongoing economic concerns, and a far less important but disappointing Raptorsā loss, the last straw was the title of Margaret Wente’s column in The Globe and Mail. No doubt it was purposeful, intended to engage and to provoke. Wenteās title: āAdvice to younger women: Man upā did just that.
Wenteās title implies that to be strong, to push through, women must be more like men. Wow.
To be fair, Wente comments that āwomen are not weaker vessels. That is the fundamental premise of feminism, as I recall. We have discarded that belief as discriminatory and patriarchal. Weāve tried to raise our daughters to be strong and independent, confident and secure- resilient, resourceful, tough-minded, able to deal with what the world throws at them. That is the road to equality.ā And further, Wente says āLike it or not, the world beyond academia is teeming with guys who take up too much space and occasionally act like jerks. Sooner or later, you will have to learn to deal with them.ā
Having said that, standing up and dealing with inequality, disrespect or abuse is not about āmanningā up, it is about speaking up.
Why the gender assignment to what is fundamentally about voice?
At St. Clementās our mission is to develop outstanding women who are intellectually curious, courageous and compassionate. We want our girls to have the courage to speak up and to speak out. It is a complex but critical skill in life that will afford them the ability to challenge situations and assure them the equality they deserve.
Our girls and young women donāt need to āmanā up, they need to speak up.