Why Women Don’t Lead (Society, Church)

Why is it that so few women are leaders? Even after decades of feminism and laws that have been passed and churches that have accepted women as leaders women remain woefully behind in numbers when it comes to leading. Why? John Stackhouse, in Partners in Christ, discusses each of the following reasons — leading me to ask you, the readers of this blog,

Why you think women in your church are not leaders?

Each of the following “reasons” is explained clearly enough, but this should at least generate our conversation. His discussions here are rooted in studies that detail why women aren’t leaders in our society and in our churches.

Stackhouse on why women don’t lead in secular occupations:

Because they prefer other work.
Because they prefer other lifestyles.
Because they fear losing their femininity.
Because they care for their men, their parents, their children, or their friends.
Because they accept second-class status.
Because they haven’t learned “man-culture”
Because women don’t lead.
Because other people resist them as leaders.
Because organizations promote pathologically.
Because men make it difficult—in all of the previous respects!

Stackhouse on why women don’t lead in churches:

Because of terrible theology. (E.g., the “new machismo.”)
Because of the aura of divine authority.
Because the stakes are too high: the very gospel itself.
Because men are there first.