Remember when people used to joke that young women went to college to earn their “MRS. degree”? Women fought for access to higher education, only to have their accomplishments reduced to whether they could find a husband.
Now we’re watching another debate unfold around women’s and girls’ sports.
Why is it so difficult for society to let women and girls have opportunities, accomplishments, and happiness that aren’t centered around men?
In this episode of the WeSurviveAbuse Podcast, we’re talking about the history of women’s education, the purpose of female athletics, and the recurring expectation that women should make room for everybody else, even in spaces they fought generations to establish.
Girls deserve to discover what their bodies can do. They deserve fair competition, friendships, scholarships, personal achievements, and the simple joy of playing a sport they love.
And sometimes a girl just wants to run, swim, dance, or kick a soccer ball without her experience becoming another argument about boys.
We’ll explore how women’s progress can be redirected toward serving men’s interests, why girls are so often expected to demonstrate kindness through sacrifice, and what happens when female boundaries are treated as obstacles rather than legitimate interests.
Women and girls have purposes beyond being another way for men to win. Beyond being ridiculed, compared, or expected to accommodate everybody else.
Their lives are their own. Their achievements deserve recognition. And their joy doesn’t need permission.
Listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who believes girls deserve the freedom to enjoy being girls.
WeSurviveAbuse Podcast | Women’s Rights, Girls’ Safety, Survivor Advocacy, and Conversations Worth Having
