There have been recent discussions about the inequality, and oppression, of women in the United States. With the Women’s March that took place in Washington D.C. on January 21st, this topic has been placed in the national spotlight. Among this crowd were a group of women who believe in the struggle against what they call a “Patriarchal” culture in America. Dina Leygerman, the author of “You Are Not Equal. I’m Sorry,” after paying respect to the women she believed paved the way for women’s rights in America wrote the following:
You can make your own choices, speak and be heard, vote, work, control your body, defend yourself, defend your family, because of the women who marched. You did nothing to earn those rights. You were born into those rights. You did nothing, but you reap the benefits of women, strong women, women who fought misogyny and pushed through patriarchy and fought for you. And you sit on your pedestal, a pedestal you are fortunate enough to have, and type. A keyboard warrior. A fighter for complacency. An acceptor of what you were given. A denier of facts. Wrapped up in your delusion of equality.
After this comment, Dina Leygerman made another statement concerning inequality and women who live in America:
You are not equal. Even if you feel like you are. You still make less than a man for doing the same work. You make less as a CEO, as an athlete, as an actress, as a doctor. You make less in government, in the tech industry, in healthcare.You still don’t have full rights over your own body. Men are still debating over your uterus. Over your prenatal care. Over your choices.You still have to pay taxes for your basic sanitary needs.
Dina Leygerman concluded her letter by writing:
Open your eyes. Open them wide. Because I’m here to tell you, along with millions of other women that you are not equal. Our equality is an illusion. A feel-good sleight of hand. A trick of the mind. I’m sorry to tell you, but you are not equal. And neither are your daughters.
The ideas mentioned by Dina Leygerman, and many others who share her perspective, come from a worldview known as secularism. The word secularism has its origin from a 13th century Old French word meaning “living in the world, not belonging to a religious order” (etymology.com, 2017). A more current definition is defined below:
[Secular humanism] believes that humans are on their own and must depend on their own resources and strength to attain the good life. They do not affirm or deny the existence of God, but most are atheist or agnostics (New Standard Encyclopedia, 2002).
Secularism, in essence, views human history without a consideration of God. A person who holds to a secular worldview, at the very least, is indifferent about the existence of God. Consequently, they observe feminism very differently than one who holds to a Biblical worldview. Consider these two types of secular feminism: Liberal Feminism and Radical Feminism.
Liberal Feminism is described below:
Liberal feminist focus on helping individual women overcome the limits and constraints of their socialization patterns. Liberal feminist argue that women deserve equality because they have the same capabilities as men. These feminist tend to believe the differences between women and men will be less problematic as work and social environments become more bias-free (Corey, 2005).
Radical Feminism is characterized as follows:
Radical Feminist focus on the oppression of women that is embedded in the patriarchy and seek to change society through activism…Radical feminists strive to identify and question the many ways in which patriarchy dominates every area including household chores, paid employment, intimate partnerships, violence, and parenting. The major goals are to transform gender relationships, transform societal institutions, and increase women’s sexual and procreative determination (Corey, 2005).
These are the philosophies of those who observe feminism from a secular worldview. There is no God that governs their thoughts, and attitudes. As a result, they believe the problem resides in social structures and cultural attitudes only. They also believe either education, activism, or a complete overthrow of the “patriarchal” system is necessary for true equality However, a person with a Biblical worldview observes feminism very differently.
First, the Biblical worldview asserts God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), and He created male and female in His likeness, and image (Gen. 1:26-27). The very way male and female were formed by God came from the very mind of God. Man and woman, according to a Biblical worldview, are equal, because male and female are both fashioned by the same Creator who is greater than the both of them, and they bear His image and likeness in creation.
Second, Paul gave insight into the equality of man and woman, and how they were to observe one another. In addressing the churches in Corinth, concerning head coverings, Paul wrote the following:
For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; 9 for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God (1 Cor. 11:7-12, NASB emphasis mine).