What does 'Womanhood' Mean to you?

[cb0208]

Hi everyone,
I am a student at Okanagan College, and my research and work had to come to a halt because of Covid-19, and haven't been able to interview people. So I am taking my question here in Castanet hoping to get responses from all genders for my women/gender studies class. When I say ALL genders can answer that means truly ALL gender not just women.

Question is: What does 'womanhood' mean to you?

my story will be going to my instructor. You can either private message me or answer me on the board. Either way I would like to hear from you.

Thank you and I hope I at least get some response for my story it's due on Monday April 27th, 2020.

Christine

[Randall T]

It's just at the opposite pole to "Manhood". Divisive words we need to lose.

[mexi cali]

I have never understood either that term or the masculine version. It implies that there are inherent differences between the two. Uniqueness's I guess might be the term but in todays world, we are being encouraged not to distinguish between the two and that I think is a result of feminism.

However, since you asked what it means "too me", I will answer this way because too me, there are major differences between the two most widely recognized genders. Manhood implies an inner toughness that can be brought to question by ones actions or inactions. I also align the term with the male reproductive organs as they are apparently tied closely to the above noted toughness.

womanhood though has nothing to do with the reproductive bits other than to say that women are inherently strong, much stronger than men in more important ways than physical strength.

It engenders their ability to carry human life, a feat that if it were left up to men would result in the end of humanity.

The motherly piece is encased in the term too me as well. After the birth the nurturing and the love that mothers posses is nothing short of awe inspiring. Men do not share the ability to love as deeply or strongly as women do. They simply don't have the connection to their kids that mothers do because of the gestational requirements so closely attached to the ability to give birth.

I am more traditional than say my kids are and I still see the distinction between men and women and I do believe that each gender is, in general, capable of things that the other is not as capable of and it is important to recognize ones strengths rather than try to convince the rest of the world that there is no such thing as differences based on gender.

In a round about way, manhood is a dominant term and womanhood sparks memories of my mom whom I miss terribly.

[alanjh595]

Great post Mexicali.

[alanjh595]

To me, there are so many different aspects to determine when a girl becomes a woman.

Age is the least reliable of the benchmarks. The ability to become pregnant, is also not reliable, just like from the age of first menstrual period.
Becoming a woman is a very complex issue where many changes to the physical, mental, psychological, and medical changes have been completed and the "girl" recognizes and accepts these changes for herself.
Womanhood begins at different times for different girls.

Boys, on the other-hand........never fully grow up, and they never become mature.

[JagXKR]

I'm of the Jordan Peterson train of thought.

https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/

[cb0208]

Wow, such great responses!!!! I am shocked with not hearing from anyone else,,????

I hope to hear more from everyone!!!!

[alanjh595]

Be happy, you have already heard from the best of the best.

[Lady tehMa]

To me, Womanhood is taking ownership of the XX chromosomal pair. The natural ability to carry and birth life (whether one does or not). Living with and embracing all that it is, including the challenges that come with the physiology (menstruation, cramps, hormonal storm, infertility). Men and women can have masculine and feminine traits and behaviours to varying degrees. These don't have anything to do with womanhood, aside from shading the experience to make it unique to the person.

A person can wish they were born a woman, and may even alter their body to assume female traits. That does not make them a woman. I am lucky in that my emotional/sexual identity matches up with my physiological identity. Mentally and emotionally, I am a female born into a female body - that to me is what womanhood is.

[the truth]

first off--rip mommy- you were the best and i miss you everyday

womanhood to me means,when my mom kicked my dad out of the home ,when me and my other brothers and sisters were still small kids, my mommy did everything, worked two jobs 6 days a week for years, -father never paid a penny of child support- we always had a warm safe bed to sleep in food in are bellies and clean clothes to wear - lots of hugs and kisses too sounds simple but when your a kid is that not all we really need , on her only day off if the weather was nice she always seemed to find the extra energy to take all the kids to the park
i can go on all day about my mom, but here is a small sample of womanhood imo

i have zero pity for deadbeat mom's or dads ,knowing what my mother had to do for us kids

love you mommy-----

[Randall T]

*removed*

[liisgo]

Interesting question. Too me, it was a defination of the differences, mostly expected of us, that society imposed on each. It seemed to work for thousands of years. Thats is the differences "allowed" based on ones sex. That seems now to be no longer an item that is even up for discussion. Yes, feminism is the big push to rid society of allowing any room for difference and preference. Is it a good thing to lose our acceptable differences? Men really have not been part of the push, they are just still men and were expected to change and accommodate new roles. Which, for the most part seems to be the case. Women, some and some not, do not want to acknowledge any differences. Maybe good but also showing not good, as the accustomed rules that women lead in are being forcibly removed from society, and not all recognize this as a good thing.
They were always just labels but carried a vast amount of privilege and power in each class. Now,its just the "Hood" one group, no longer differences acceptable within society. Wrong/right, time will tell.
cheers.

[W105]

what a lovely post about your momma Truth :) I bet the ladies in your life (wife and daughter) are treated like gold..

I recall a poster saying in another thread that Woman aren't good for anything but procreating, cooking and cleaning...sad and shocking..

anyways I am very glad to be a woman in today's world !! my grandmothers had hard lives..they raised huge families, with little income and had none of the life conveniences that we have today..like washers/dryers/vacuums etc..(crazy that they both lived until their late 90's)

my mom raised 4 of us but she had those life conveniences and she could eventually enter the work force when we all left home..but she still had that 1950 mentality of doing everything for my father...

I'm so lucky that I could get married when I wanted to, have children when I wanted to , dress the way I want to, and get a better education...all MY decisions..

glad I married a man who respects the way I think about myself and has never tried to change it..

[normaM]

I never use the word.. to me it is archaic, think it is still used in bodice ripper novels tho
What is paper on btw?

[alanjh595]

Both of the above noted replies (that I have c&c the first line of)....

first off--rip mommy- you were the best and i miss you everyday
womanhood to me means,when my mom kicked my dad out of the home

and

what a lovely post about your momma Truth :) I bet the ladies in your life (wife and daughter) are treated like gold..

Only speak of age old, days long past, and only address sexism from those days and the roles that a female played within a family grouping.
Those rules of sexism were not defined until many years later. At the time, women chose to accept their role within the family unit.
It had NOTHING to do with womanhood, because all of the other aspects are being overlooked.....psychological, physiological, and genetic.
Sexism is not part of OP's search for knowledge.