Last week we discussed how legalistic religious beliefs within the church can stop women from walking in their purpose and fully showing up
Click here if you missed that, sis
This is important because it plays into culture
(which is the behaviours and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic or age group)
especially in terms of how girls are socialised which, in turn, has knock-on effects on our ability to show up, be visible and therefore make impact as women
For, as one of my favourite authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche said:
“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller, we say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much.’ ‘You should aim to be successful, but not too successful…’”
which is why, according to research, women feel less at ease with promoting themselves than men- which in turn means that they're less likely to do it.
However…
Mahlah and her 4 sisters (Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah) teach us that the best way to overcome this is to:
#1 Question the status quo
For example, Numbers 27:3-4 shows the ladies questioning Moses and the elders present with him by saying:
“Our father died in the wilderness…Why should [his] name be removed from among his family because he had no son?”
This shows us that the best way to overcome the impact of gender norms on your visibility efforts is to question their validity.
#2 Unlearn limiting beliefs imposed by culture and tradition
In order for Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah to go from questioning the culture surrounding inheritance to actually fighting it, they would have had to stop thinking it was right. This shows us, as modern women, that promoting yourself typically means coming out of your comfort zone, shaking off societal constructs and unlearning ideas that you once held as truths, just as they had to.
#3 Self-advocate
Mahlah et al also show us that promoting ourselves and/or going for what we want is not about being “too ambitious” or trying to be “too successful” as women. It is our right and a very important form of self-advocacy in the way that it allows us to represent our views and interests.
#4 Be the change you want to see in the world
Mahlah and her sister’s victory may have started out as just being about them but it didn’t stop with them. Their ability to get their inheritance set a new precedence for other cases like theirs that followed, I’m sure. Likewise, visibility within our chosen sectors as modern women is not just about us. Our self-advocacy will also be our legacy.
Want more visibility tips? There’s loads more where those came from, sis!
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