When I was introduced as the territorial gender equity officer last March, responses on social media were mixed. “It’s about time!” said one person. “I thought we were all equal in God’s eyes, so why do we need a special person to tell us?” said another.

A few months later, an officer couple arrived at a new appointment. “It’s great to have you! Here’s your office space,” a local leader said to the male spouse. When the female officer inquired about an office, the reply came, “I thought you worked from home.”

Although we are all equal in God’s eyes, the lived experience of many women officers shows that the work of gender equity remains important. There is still much to be done as the Canada and Bermuda Territory honours its commitment to equitable leadership development and opportunities for female and male officers to flourish. Let’s bust some myths to clarify why working toward gender equity is still necessary.

MYTH 1: GENDER EQUITY PRIORITIZES WOMEN AT THE EXPENSE OF MEN, RATHER THAN SEEKING EQUALITY AND FAIR TREATMENT FOR EVERYONE. 

REALITY: The Salvation Army strives for change that ensures equal support for and empowerment of women and men in leadership roles. Our theology reflects that female and male persons are created equally, and all are intended to contribute to God’s mission (see Genesis 1:27-28). No intentional target is being painted on the backs of men in the work of gender equity.

Historically in The Salvation Army, a much larger percentage of men have held senior leadership positions. The pendulum has swung in the direction of men. A temporary positive bias toward the development of female leaders is recommended to centre the pendulum of female and male representation in leadership roles. In addressing the inequity of women leaders filling leadership roles, the pendulum swing required is not intended to adversely affect male leaders but to provide a more equitable balance. A continued improvement in female leader representation is required, not by negatively attacking men, but by intentionally supporting women as needed.

MYTH 2: ADDRESSING GENDER EQUITY IS NO LONGER RELEVANT OR NEEDED.

REALITY: To make ministry operations and leadership opportunities fair and just for all persons, we must address the truth that women remain at a disadvantage in some areas. Women still face barriers in leadership development that men do not. For example, women do not have the same number of female leadership role models as men do. Role models provide guidance and support during leadership formation and demonstrate organizational values. Role models help women internalize a leader identity as they see more women filling senior leadership roles. Role models are important for both genders as women battle stereotypical viewpoints and prejudices that men do not.

Addressing gender equity is also needed because women are more challenged than men to find a healthy work-life balance. Although household responsibilities have become more equally shared between women and men, women still have more domestic responsibilities, whether in childcare, household duties or caring for elderly parents. Such imbalance adds a heavier load on women, particularly in a marriage, as women share ministry responsibilities with their husbands.

MYTH 3: GENDER EQUITY IGNORES THE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES OF MANY WOMEN.

REALITY: The territorial gender equity team intentionally celebrates the progress of healthy leadership we see in many women leaders across our organization. We are working on ways to highlight how women are making an impact on the church and community in their leadership, both on the front lines in corps and social ministries, and in administrative roles. We applaud the progress in having more female leaders appointed as area commanders and recognize other leadership roles where women are stepping up.

MYTH 4: GENDER EQUITY PLACES WOMEN IN CERTAIN POSITIONS, REGARDLESS OF QUALIFICATIONS OR MERIT, AND IGNORES OTHER FEMALE LEADERS WHO HAVE WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS AND EQUALITY WITH MEN ON THEIR OWN.

REALITY: The work of gender equity is not about placing women in roles for which they are not equipped, trained or educated just for the sake of having women represented. Advocating for gender equity ensures competencies or skill sets in women are identified and not overlooked so they are equally utilized. Without fabricating skills or rewarding women with roles for which they are not trained, gender equity looks for opportunities to equip women for roles they are interested in, but for which they may not yet be prepared. This does not mean diminishing the standard required for any individual in each position. Gender equity ensures that women and men are recognized for hard work, unique talents and competencies.

MYTH 5: GENDER EQUITY BELITTLES OR CRITICIZES WOMEN WHO CHOOSE ROLES AND LIFESTYLES TRADITIONALLY SEEN AS “FEMININE.”

REALITY: Gender equity, in its purest form, honours the heart and purposes of God for the world. Both women and men were created to partner with God to care for creation and for the physical, spiritual, emotional and social needs of people. God gifts women and men in various ways so that together we fulfil his purposes. The work of gender equity supports the New Testament framework of ministry engagement according to giftedness (see Romans 12:4-8). It is giftedness, not gender, coupled with development, passion and demonstrated competency, that should warrant leadership assignments.

We encourage women to discover, cultivate and use the gifts God has given them. There are roles that have been previously gendered, such as those around children or homemaking. If this is an area of ministry that a woman officer feels particularly passionate about or skilled in, there should remain pathways to fulfil those roles. We must remember, though, that an ongoing growth mindset is critical for leaders. Leaders need to stretch themselves beyond their comfort levels to fully develop themselves.

MYTH 6: WORKING TOWARD GENDER EQUITY IS UNNECESSARY BECAUSE WOMEN ARE TREATED WITH FAIRNESS AND RESPECT IN THE SALVATION ARMY.

REALITY: The Salvation Army demonstrates respect for women leaders in many ways. “The Salvation Army is committed to empowering men and women equitably,” says Commissioner Lee Graves, territorial commander. There are, however, harmful stereotypes and beliefs about gender that are embedded in society, which creep into the life of the church. People sometimes conform to these toxic stereotypes without realizing it. For example, the belief that women are more emotional than men sounds innocent but can quickly snowball into women being mistreated and men being shamed for expressing emotion. Current experiences are still being shared where such unfair treatment happens, thus the work must be ongoing. Consistently demonstrating gender equity is crucial to work through these damaging beliefs, creating a culture where all persons are treated with fairness.

MYTH 7: WHEN WOMEN ARE FIRM IN THEIR CONVICTIONS AND ASSERTIVE IN SPEAKING OUT, THEY ARE BEING OVERLY AGGRESSIVE, TOO EMOTIONAL OR TOO MASCULINE.

REALITY: The thinking behind this myth reflects the stereotype that it’s OK for male leaders to be assertive but not female leaders. In the past, leadership traits were defined as masculine and feminine. Being assertive was a desired masculine trait for leadership while being nurturing and caring were defined as leadership traits for female leaders. Evolving research asserts that both traits are needed for leaders to be effective. When women leaders speak out strongly against demonstrated inequity or unfair treatment of themselves or others, they are strong leaders. They are not being difficult or unfeminine. They are reflecting a Christlike leadership characteristic. They are not being too emotional or aggressive. Women leaders want to be respected and heard in the same way that men are.

MYTH 8: THE GENDER EQUITY WORK IS ABOUT GENDER IDENTITY OR HUMAN SEXUALITY.

REALITY: While the phrase “gender equity” may have diverse connotations in society at large, the current gender equity work in this territory is geared toward the equitable treatment of female and male officers. It is not about gender identity or human sexuality. It does not change the organization’s value and position regarding marriage. The action steps taken are based on the recommendations of the gender equity task force, reflecting the lived experiences of our officers (read the task force report and recommendations at salvationist.ca/gender-equity/report-recommendations). The gender equity committee advocates for the recommendations approved by the spiritual and denominational affairs board to be embedded in everyday ministry operations, as well as the ongoing behavioural change required to support our stated commitment to leadership equity.

Commissioner Lee Graves has given his full support to the work of gender equity in our territory: “The Salvation Army has, from its inception, through the teaching and example of our Founders, declared that people must be treated equally in all areas of life and ministry. I commit to ensuring our theology is lived out in the behaviour of leaders at all levels.”

LT-COLONEL WANDA VINCENT is the corps officer at London Citadel, Ont. and the territorial gender equity officer.

Illustration: Courtesy of CARING magazine.

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