Member-only story
Conservative Mansplaining
Why can’t women be trusted without the endorsement of a trusted male figurehead
Women of a certain age like myself grew up with certain talking points ingrained upon them.
Women are emotional.
Women cannot be intelligent.
Women are not good at math or science.
Women need a strong man to support them.
Women of strength are not sexy, desirable, or ‘real’ women.
So many lies, so little time, so I will proceed.
What She Really Meant to Say Is…
Women who lead have struggled to be heard and have long suffered due to men’s need to translate.
I first experienced this in my late twenties, as the only female on a board of a small protestant church. I was making a point on the allocation of funds, daring to oppose the geriatric leader’s opinion on an outlay of funds to further support some long standing membership’s desires. I stated my thoughts and was met with crickets.