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Standing Tall

© Nancy Coulter

Women have often had a problem with being mistaken for a bitch, when they are merely sticking up for themselves. After thousands of years of blindly accepting whatever was put in front of them, it's understandable that men would be shocked to hear a woman say "NO".

Just think of the look on a man's face when he first heard a woman openly disagree with him! That man probably wanted to put her to the slaughter right then and there, and in fact he might have done just that.

Thankfully, women don't have to worry about being physically hurt if they stick up for themselves. Although many women unfortunately live in a physically aubsive situation, it is not accepted as the norm of society. Now the problem is the mental and psychological angst that comes with saying what you believe.

I grew up in a family where I was the eldest child and only daughter. I was constantly trying to get my voice heard, especially since I often held a minority opinion in the family. It was a struggle to make sure that I wasn't forgotten about or ignored, but I did what I had to do. My actions were accepted in my family. It was understood the position I was in, and no one looked down on me for sticking up for myself. Due to those circumstances, it's hard for me to imagine someone having a hard time standing up for themselves. However, as I've grown up and have seen more of the world, I've met many people along the way who weren't as accepting as my family was.

Women may be allowed to work in positions with power or in positions that were traditonally held by men, however that doesn't mean that they have been accepted in those positions. Nor does it mean that their peers (males and females) accept these women as having power. The road to being accepted by your peers as an authority figure can be a long one. It can be difficult, but if you stick with it then you can get to that point of acceptance. If are are able to deal with the road to acceptance and put up with whatever is tossed your way, then others will realize that you are more than deserving of the power that you have. When you make it to that point, you should consider yourself lucky.

The dangers of physical abuse are unfortunately still there for women. This abuse isn't the same as some sort of public torture that happened to a woman if she stood up for herself centuries ago. Many women face physical abuse from their husbands or lovers whenever they choose to stand up for themselves.

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