Women hating men or feeling superior or inferior to men and vice versa is an issue in today’s society. It even has a term for the hatred between men and women: misandry and misogyny. These terms have a negative impact on society and others, such as creating distrust, resentment, distress, and a distortion of manhood and womanhood. Along with these two terms, other ideologies, such as incel and Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), have formed while radical feminism is still going on. Nonetheless, the biblical view clarifies the concept of manhood and womanhood.
Men and Women are Important in God’s Eyes
Men and women are not superior or inferior to each other, nor do they need to hate each other. They are important in God’s eyes, even though men and women are not perfect. They have different roles, talents, and skills to uphold in society, the workplace, or at home. This allows them to share their skills, abilities, ideas, and information with others in order to make things work in the workplace, with customers, employees or colleagues. For example, a woman who excels at product design and a man who excels at finance and accounting can collaborate on a commercial endeavor together. The man can keep the budget under control, and the woman can produce a superior product. As a result, there is no need to elevate women while degrading men and vice versa. The case of Gillette advertising, the substitution of Batman and Superman, and Obamacare ads are just a few examples.
Toxic and Masculinity do not Mean the Same Thing
An article from Got Question Ministries pointed out the problem of putting the two terms, toxic and masculinity, together. Toxic and masculinity do not mean the same thing. Unsuitable conduct in a male does not mean all masculinity traits are toxic or condemned. However, when labeling all expressions of manhood as toxic masculinity on a cultural level, it makes really bad behavior more difficult to confront. The author provided examples of how it is misapplied as well as a remedy for distinguishing between unhealthy and good attitudes and behaviors in males.
Manhood and Womanhood
Not all aspects of masculinity involve violence, berating or repressing women, or dominance. They aren’t like the Taliban, who restrict women’s access to education and to fly alone on airlines.Taking responsibility, protecting one’s family and children. Others include having good character traits, such as standing up for the truth, not giving up easily, and having good ethics and values. Examples include Moses, Joshua, and Joseph, to name a few. Compelling Truth pointed out that Christ is an excellent example of masculinity, along with some other character traits for men and women. An article from Focus on the Family explained the behavior development in men and women and listed the characteristics of masculinity.
Not all traits of womanhood also involve violence, superiority, or inferiority to men as well as to other women. They are not about classifying that all men are toxic and all women are right. They are also not all about being independent and having only a career path. In fact, an article from Got Question Ministries pointed out that women can have jobs outside the home even though they have the priorities of married women. Look at Proverb 31:10-3. It is acceptable to have a career if the married woman is not neglecting her children and husband. God designed women and men differently so that they could complement each other in society, the workplace, and at home. After all, He created Eve out of Adam’s rib (Genesis 2:21-22 NIV, KJV) to be his partner. In addition, God also uses women to save others. Look at Ruth and Esther, to name a few.
Conclusion
The rise of misandry and misogyny creates an alarming gap between males and females. Different subcultures are formed to further promote their views and conflicts of both genders. Some men and women no longer see the difference between the good and bad characteristics in both genders or the genuine sides of both genders. The biblical view explains traits in both genders and how God sees them as equally important. He has a purpose for everyone (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV, KJV) and gives men and women special gifts to serve each other and to glorify Him.
