As I’ve answered interviewers’ questions, I’ve noticed myself saying things like: “I was surprised how difficult it was to be a woman in seminary, even at a seminary that’s fully committed to supporting women in ministry.” I’ve come to realize that of course it’s still difficult to be a woman in these spaces. Of course it’s still hard—even after many decades, even after hundreds or even thousands of women have walked this path before me—because the reality is that the roads were not built with us in mind. They were not shaped to fit us. So many different intricacies and twists and turns and building materials went into making these paths, all of which are more difficult to navigate for those who were not their original intended walkers.
Author: Liz Cooledge Jenkins
Liz Cooledge Jenkins (MDiv) is a Seattle area-based writer, preacher and the author of Nice Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women’s Humanity From Evangelicalism. Her writing can be found at Growing Into Kinship and on Instagram @lizcoolj.