Is the female voice having her day? Some would say yes, considering the recent pro-women movements and support for gender equality. Even so, the biggest voices have typically belonged to men, making it tough to hear what women have been saying all along. Both in decibels and weight, what men say has been valued over-and-above whatever women have said. Awareness of this imbalance has grown, as of late, causing men to seek out the perspectives, opinions, and expertise of women. A recent report in The Atlantic, for example, documented the good effort of a male scientist as he determined to give equal exposure to colleagues of both sexes. Such an effort backfired for another man, however, when he sought to split his reading between male and female authors. His account raised the ire of social media and plenty of reaction pieces. And it raises the question about intent in seeking out female voices. Is this merely a ploy to appear sensitive to the other half of the population?
In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson discuss several recent happenings that expose faulty reasoning for turning toward women’s voices and consider a better way forward. Listen in to all this and more, and then continue the conversation on Twitter @PersuasionCAPC or in the CAPC members-only community on Facebook. Be sure to answer our question of the day: Who is your favorite woman writer?
Links from the Show:
I Spent Two Years Trying to Fix the Gender Imbalance in My Stories, The Atlantic
Did you enjoy this episode of Persuasion? Give these a listen:
Persuasion 108: What Boys and Girls Are Made Of
Persuasion 95: Pink Is for Girls, Brilliance Is for Boys
Persuasion 75: The Outsourcing of Women’s Discipleship to Para-Church Personalities
Theme music by Maiden Name.
