I’ve worked in a law office, a church, and in a corporate human resource office. And the only place gender discrimination was, and is, legal was the church. There’s something wrong with that picture.
Churches influence our beliefs about what’s right and wrong, the roles and value of men and women. As a rusult, the lives, careers, and paychecks of women have been particularly impacted. Think about the ‘glass ceiling,’ political leadership, wages, benefits and the role of women in churches.
Because the environment always wins, those kind of discriminating faith environments may not be safe, positive, empowering or supportive places for women who aspire to be leaders, women who desire to hold top positions of power or financial wealth; women of spirit and spunk who want their voice and vision to be heard and respected; creative women of wisdom and intelligence with intuition and dreams and transformational passions.
Look around and listen, as if for the first time, next time you’re in a church service. Are you being included, or not? Are you being inspired? Energized? Given attractive feminine role models, images of divinity to emulate?
If not, seek one that does.
It takes courage to look elsewhere, or to leave. These organizations specialize in guilt trips. And it gets painful and harmful to your spirit and soul if you stay. Remember, the environment always wins. Choose environments that support, encourage, and affirm your best, most beautiful self, who you are and desire to be. Leave those that don’t. When do you feel the greatest? most successful? fulfilled? worthwhile? appreciated? You want MORE of that! And there are positive places and ways to attract and build it.
An organization that perceives or treats womankind as anything less than the powerful, intelligent, leaders, everyday goddesses, and queens that we are, does not derserve the benefits of our time, talent, services, or financial support. As Suze Orman says in her book, Women and Money, We are not on sale. There are organizations that honor, appreciate, and fully support all of who we are and aspire to be. If you don’t know one, let’s talk. I can help.