The Church Needs Feminists
It’s International Women’s Day, and I once again find myself frustrated with stories of women limited and undermined in their church communities; with inaction on and ignorance about the challenges that women face in our churches; with the androcentrism that has become too normal in Christianity. Recently, I have heard a lot of Christians reticent to call themselves feminists for fear of the perceived negative connotations of this word. They might say, “I support women but I’m not gonna burn my bra”, “I support women but I don’t hate men,” or “do we really even need feminism anymore?” When I hear these, and a myriad of other misconceptions, uttered, my first response is that the church needs feminists.
The church needs feminists because feminism is not about bra burning. The bra burning feminist cliché is a historical fallacy. In 1968 in New Jersey, feminists staged a protest against the Miss America pageant and encouraged women to throw away items they considered symbols of their objectification: high heels, mops, lipstick, and most famously, bras. Journalists grabbed hold of this image and referenced anti-Vietnam war protests by asking: “Men burn draft cards? Will women burn bras?” The purpose of the protest was to campaign against the narrow limits of women’s lives as the Miss America Pageant was emblematic of the limited choices that women had if they were to adhere to the ideal of womanhood that society presented.
The church needs feminists because there is still an ideal of womanhood that limits women. Especially in the church, there are expectations of what a woman should and shouldn’t be that serve to ostracise and constrain women to be less than their full potential. Protests against being a bra-burning feminist completely miss the point: feminism doesn’t constrain women to a limited ideal, but is about the freedom for all women to choose so that they can thrive, bra or no bra.
The church needs feminists because the end of sexism is better for everybody. How we define feminism matters: it’s not about misandry. Rather, to use bell hooks’s famous definition, “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” It is about advocating for women on the basis of equality between the sexes. Feminism is not about hating men, it is about hating sexism. The focus on sexism means that feminism is not just good for women: the erasure of sexism also frees men from the unreasonable expectations of masculinity. As well as constraining women, sexism establishes a set of claims about what a man is supposed to be: dominant, aspirational, out of touch with his emotions, etc. When women are freed from the limiting standards placed on them, men can also step outside of these limits.
The church needs feminists because the word matters. It’s pretty common for me to hear Christians discussing feminism but fearful of using that title. I get it: there are negative perceptions of feminism due to misunderstandings and these can be hard to shake. Sometimes it feels safer to eschew the word in order to get to the heart of advocating for women. However, there is something significant in claiming and associating with feminism. Feminism is a movement with theory and a history worth acknowledging. When I say the church needs feminists, I don’t just mean that the church needs Christians who will publicly support women; I mean Christians who will proudly stand and place themselves in the long tradition of those fighting for women’s equality. To be a feminist is to recognise and be recognised by others who also campaign against sexism. There is mutual support and so much worth learning from other feminists.
The church needs feminists because, at its best, feminism is a movement that fights against all forms of oppression. Not all women are primarily limited by sexism. In different ways throughout our societies women are treated as objects and their ability to function as self-determining subjects is limited. This can especially be seen in Aotearoa through the ongoing structural inequities of colonisation that create barriers for the self-determination of Māori and Pasifika. Feminism must focus on oppression wider than only within the man/woman dichotomy so as to not ignore the issue of racism that is more primary than sexism for many women of colour. Feminism must also acknowledge the complicity of white women in the ongoing objectification of women of colour. In seeking the equality and freedom of all women, feminism is strengthened through engagement with the range of women’s experience. Feminism, therefore, offers to the church an opening of understanding around the overlapping of oppressions and encourages the advocating for all forms of emancipation.
Ultimately, the church needs feminists because the fight isn’t over. Three years ago, just before the last election, I was asked at a conference whether feminism was still relevant because we had two women running for Prime Minister. I have thought about that question everyday since as I think of new reasons why we still need feminism. It’s when I hear about an extremely qualified woman told she can’t preach at a church because she’s a woman. It’s when I watch a pastor refer to his “smoking hot wife.” It’s when a church leader is given a standing ovation for admitting a “sexual incident” with a teenager. It’s when a teenage girl’s body is objectified when she is told by her youth leader what she can and can’t wear. It’s a teenage girl being called promiscuous after an older leader initiates a sexual relationship with her. It’s when I look around the room that question was asked in and see only three other women among all the men. It’s every day when I wonder how long it will take for true change to happen, while I reflect with friends that it seems like things are getting worse, when I wonder who will stand up and advocate. The reasons we need feminism seem stacked overwhelming against the small wins.
Feminism is for everybody. Fighting against sexism is not only a task for women; everybody is needed if change is going to happen. To men, get involved. Your voices are important. Your power can be used to make change. Listen to women, learn about women, talk about women! Don’t leave all the work to clean up this mess to those who already carry the burden of experiencing it. To women, stand proudly in your feminist beliefs. Don’t be afraid to be a killjoy when there is patriarchal joy in need of killing. Listen to women, especially those different to yourself, learn about feminism, let men be part of the movement. For change to happen, the church needs feminists.
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Jaimee van Gemerden is editor at Metanoia.
