As soon as they can speak, girls are expected to fulfil certain roles. They are given dolls to care for, pretty clothes to wear, and instructions on how to speak etiquette, maintain cleanliness and perform domestic duties.
Each of these is designed to help girls become better (submissive) wives and exceptional mothers.
In the culture in which you were raised, you were destined to become a wife and mother.
However, some girls are motivated by academic and then professional success. These girls, who were raised to achieve high grades and excel in sports and other activities, are motivated by career and financial success.
They may not want children and may choose not to marry, but they lack enthusiasm for their work and feel empty when they return home.
Then, society’s culture tells them, “This is why you should marry and have children in order to be fulfilled!
However, what happens when the children grow up and leave or when the marriage bed becomes cold?
You were not born to be a wife, mother, or professional woman, ladies. No, you were brought up to be a wife, mother, or professional woman. Now is the time to learn the distinction.
How culture undermines women’s power access
In the following ways, culture undermines a woman’s access to power:
- By conditioning girls to believe that their purpose is childbearing and childrearing. Early on, girls are taught nurturing skills through play. Toys such as dolls and play kitchens help girls develop these skills.
- By conditioning girls to believe that to be valid, they must be “pretty.” Girls imitate what they see on television and in magazines. This teaches young women that they must be “pretty” to attract a husband.
- By imposing such a heavy mental burden on women that they cannot move beyond their daily chores. For many women, the mental load is overwhelming and leaves little room for pursuing their passions and purpose.
In essence, culture undermines women’s access to power by confining them to a single role that is assigned by society and not chosen by the woman herself.
Your “container” will prevent you from pursuing your true and unique purpose because you literally do not have time to consider your passions and, therefore, your unique purpose and capacity to make an impact.
What If Being a Wife, Mother, or Professional Woman Brings Me Joy?
Good. Whatever you choose to do with your life, I hope it brings you happiness.
There is no rule stating that a woman cannot love her children and care for them and her spouse while also having a fulfilling career and pursuing her life’s purpose. In fact, there is no rule stating that these objectives cannot be your “sole” objective. I can only suggest that you consider thinking beyond them.
Here’s a fact you won’t hear frequently: Your primary objective in life is to be happy. Everything else you do is subordinate to this one task. You are here to attain happiness.
Being a wife and mother ought to bring you joy. If something does not bring you joy, you should avoid it. Being a woman with a career should make you happy. If it does not bring you joy, you should alter it.
I do not want you to cease doing what brings you joy. In fact, I wish for you the opposite.