Why I Stopped Accommodating Men: Unlearning the Rules of Being a Woman

About this episode

Dr. Cristie Ritz-King discusses the challenges of being a woman today and shares her journey of unlearning societal expectations.

Welcome to Wonder in the Weeds, the show where we talk about how we are living, thriving, and surviving in a world full of constant change, challenge, and grief, and learning how to live and love right in the middle of it all. Today, the weeds are feeling pretty heavy. We are talking about the sheer exhaustion of just being a woman in the world today. I am raising two daughters, navigating a huge time of transition in my fifties, and watching the news with a completely new set of feminist lenses. In this episode, I share a story from my high school days about an after-prom party that completely changed my perspective on how women are treated. A male teacher shamed me for a choice my boyfriend made, and looking back, it was a glaring symbol of a lesson I carried for decades: women are expected to make the right choices for men, accommodate their feelings, and take the fall when things go wrong. But here is where the wonder comes in. I am watching my girls navigate the world, and they take so much less nonsense than I did at their age. They show up authentically, without making themselves small or trying to be "palatable" to fit into a room. Inspired by them, I am unlearning my own…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Cristie Ritz-King

Topics covered

• feminism
• women's empowerment
• personal growth
• parenting
• gender roles

Keywords

• women
• feminism
• accommodation
• personal story
• empowerment
• parenting
• gender expectations

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