A central concept in the Catholic teaching about men and women is complementarity. The term is used to capture a bigger idea with respect to equality of the sexes, namely that equality does not have to be achieved through sameness. In the Foreword, Mark points out that “We’re not even through the first chapter of Genesis when we see that God created male and female equal, but quite different.” (para 3)
“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Notice, this translation uses the term “mankind” where other translations just use “man.” In that way, I believe the term “man” is established for the purposes of discussing human beings, as a term that does not necessarily imply the masculine. This is why, even though I am female, I don’t feel excluded when male pronouns are used in Biblical passages.
More importantly, the inherent equality of men and women is clear in this description of creation. Both the male and the female are created in the image of God. At the same time, both the male and the female are mentioned distinctly. In this way, there is a sense of an equal dignity of persons, both male and female, without male and female persons needing to be the same.
Pope St. John Paul II’s Letter to Women (found here) explained that Catholic Church teaching about women is based on a foundation that “Womanhood expresses the “human” as much as manhood does, but in a different and complementary way.” (quoted in section 7) This idea of complementarity is often disputed by some feminists, but “it is only through the duality of the “masculine” and the “feminine” that the “human” finds full realization.” (also in section 7)
Okay, nothing like diving right in with both feet, right? I think this might be the underlying issue that causes so much tension within and around feminist ideology. There are so many diverse versions of feminism (more on that another day) and one division is the vision of equality. Does equal mean the same? To bridge gaps in equality, do women have to act more like men? What does that even mean?
Certainly, every individual is different from everyone else, regardless of gender. Some women are naturally more nurturing than others; the same is true of men. Some men are more dominant than others; the same is true of women. That said, is it fair to say that there are certain traits that are inherently more feminine or more masculine than others?
I would love to hear what you think about it. Please scroll down to the comments and share your thoughts. Do women and men have inherent differences that complement each other in the formation of a complete society? Does this complementarity allow for equality in dignity and value?