By Breaunna Stone
I have recently been listening to a podcast in which successful women are interviewed and they discuss their life experiences as business owners, public figures, social media influencers, wives, and mothers. Not all who are interviewed are wives and mothers but a good majority of them are. As I have listened to their stories, I have been thinking about how these highly talented, capable, strong women have positively influenced the lives of so many and still seem to have a solid grasp on the importance and value of womanhood.
In our society we often hear of inequality in the workplace because of gender discrimination. Just last week a woman, a successful executive, told me of an instance when she was reprimanded for telling her team that she cared about each of them, and that she loved them. She was told that she should not be “mothering” her team. I hear of other women that are passed over for promotions because they have children and are committed to their home and family life. The qualities that women innately possess bring unique perspectives to the workforce, politics, community, and to the family and should be viewed as strength, not as weakness.
We need strong women in the work force who know how to lead, influence, and build value wherever they are. We need strong women in the home who defend and stand by their husbands and families and build them up to be positive forces for good in the world.
There is also strength in the differences between men and women. I am baffled when I hear the roaring voices of women demanding to be the same as men. I wonder if they have forgotten the qualities and strengths they bring to the table that men do not naturally possess. Being strong does not mean being more like a man or to have more masculine qualities. The natural love, care, concern and compassion that come with being a woman are talents and advantages that allow for a high level of understanding, growth, and development in every situation.
As women, we can be forces for good by highlighting our unique qualities to bring positive change, strength, and diversity to our homes, families, work place, society, and world.