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For Women’s History Month, consider the different ways women have defined themselves. That definition can help all of us who want to help women thrive.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a young Jewish philosopher, Edith Stein, argued that women and men were different. She explained that their differences were exactly why both should be included in all professions and all levels of politics. She, writing her doctoral dissertation on empathy, found that she had different interests and gifts than the men with whom she worked. However, she was equal in intellectual ability.
Stein, a Jew who later converted to Roman Catholicism, also faced ethnic discrimination, losing the job she finally attained when German universities started hiring women because of Hitler’s scourge against all Jews in the university system. She was murdered at Auschwitz for being a Jew and a Catholic who encouraged Catholics to stand against Hitler. In the late 20th century, her writings on women’s rights influenced John Paul II, the philosopher Pope, who indicated that the dignity of woman needed recognition throughout the Christian church.
This message is excerpted from “Celebrate bold women of faith, Week 1 – Feeling rad-trad?” by Jennifer Hockenbery from the March 1, 2025, blog of the Women of the ELCA.