THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT

Feminism promised to save women from a life of oppression. Women believed they would gain independence and true freedom. Finally, they would be treated as equal members of society. The reality, however, is that with this newfound freedom, feminism caused women to experience a different kind of hardship. It also helped to drive society away from God and wounded the heart of the family.

I used to consider myself a feminist and felt proud of my ability to provide for myself from a very young age. This mindset remained with me until I became a mum. My heart, newly touched by the gift of motherhood, struggled to reconcile with the vision of my youth.

I cherished every moment I spent with my little girl, and I could not for a second imagine handing her over to complete strangers to care for her while I went to work. I pass no judgement on the mothers that take their babies and toddlers to daycare. I understand the need for this service, however as I had the choice to keep my baby at home, I could not help but empathise with the mums that did not have the opportunity to choose the way I did.

Contrary to the feminist narrative that promised women empowerment, freedom and choices, feminism oppressed many women in their role as mothers.

Becoming a mum led me to question the real effects feminism has on women and families, and the confusion it has caused around gender roles. This was especially highlighted to me when I was discharged from the maternity ward. Having given birth via C-section, it was my husband that did the heavy lifting by providing for us while I was at home healing and caring for our newborn. Now also the mum of a boy, I see the importance of empowering the boys in every generation to one day become men that will lead their own families. This is not to reduce the role of a man merely as a provider of our financial and material needs but rather to be a moral compass and lead his family to know, love and serve God.

Feminism also played a vital role in the “my body, my choice” movement, applauding society for normalising the killing of babies via abortion. At the time of this writing, Australia legally allows women to have an abortion up to birth (with some conditions). Can you imagine aborting a baby at 38 weeks of gestation and are you aware of the steps doctors take to abort a fully formed baby?

If we sincerely want to achieve a life of sensible equality, purpose and meaning, we need to bring God back into our homes and include Bibles in our public-school curriculum. We need to redirect our focus from women’s rights to human rights, the way God intended.

Also to be clear, it wasn’t motherhood per se that led me to question the false belief system around equal rights. Rather, motherhood is what the Lord used to reveal to me the truth about gender roles and how different life looks when we live according to God’s plan for us. It has been this work of the Holy Spirit, that has gently opened my eyes to a bigger and far better way to exist and navigate my earthly life as a woman.

We are told that life is not black and white, that there is an area of grey that exists in between. This is another lie designed to turn our attention away from God. Life is only ever black or white. If we try to sit on two chairs, we will surely fall in between. In the same manner, in this life, we must pick a side. We are either with God or against him. If we want to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven, we need to choose Him here on earth. And if we want to spend our time on earth in true freedom, we must choose Jesus every single day.