I am thankful for Dr. Gress's books and work in this area. It is clear by researching the history of feminism that it was always an evil movement in its core ideals (e.g. overthrowing the patriarchy). While there have been genuine injustices against women, the solution was never to encourage women to reject their feminine nature and emulate men. I pray that we can take the next step after pointing out the great disorder feminism has caused the world and start to teach CLEARLY what is God's design for the family as shown in the Bible, through the teaching of the Church, and natural law. This is where most everyone who is waking up to evils of feminism are still struggling to take the obvious steps to get us back to God's will for the family. This would include clear teaching things such as: 1. Encouraging women to pursue union with God through their feminine nature, rather than suppressing it or striving to be masculine. This extends to discouraging participation in masculine activities such as sports (e.g. wrestling). 2. Mothers should be present in the home with their children as their primary vocation, not working careers that require children to be raised in daycares. 3. The proper authority structure in marriage with the husband as the head and the wife as the body should be lived out and respected. 4. Teaching clearly the idea of self-gift through the marital debt, including clear Bible teaching on this being a natural duty and having a natural end of curbing concupiscence. I have heard Dr. Gress raise an intriguing point: while we can easily describe a "good" man, attempts to define a "good" woman often result in feminist rhetoric or descriptions of a "girl boss" archetype. This difficulty in defining a "good" woman is a metaphysical question that exposes the damage caused by feminism. From a metaphysical perspective, we must consider teleology and proper function to determine what makes something "good." A woman's potential for motherhood fundamentally shapes her being differently from a man's, and thus, what constitutes a "good" woman differs from what makes a "good" man. Feminism has obscured the fact that women's biology specifically orients them towards nurturing and child-rearing in ways that men's bodies do not. We need to reinstate clear ideals for the natures of men, women, and the family, abandoning the notion that we can selectively adopt feminist ideas like mothers pursuing careers outside the home. Failure to address this will lead to continued family deterioration, manifesting in smaller families (average Catholic family is 2.6), increased reliance on daycare, and homes occupied only briefly each day. We'll also continue to see men failing at their natural roles, especially being unable to lead, and women adopting masculine roles across various social spheres. In our justified opposition to the obvious wrongs of feminism (contraception, abortion, hook-up culture, etc.), we have overlooked other subtle yet equally harmful ideas eroding the family unit. How have these changes become acceptable when they are precisely what the Church has long cautioned against? ---- The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about Marriage and the Family. Sister Lucia dos Santos [feminism/birth control] "is mixed up with a muddled idea that women are free when they serve their employers but slaves when they help their husbands." - G.K. Chesterton Dear Newlyweds. by Pope Pius XII "Is it not an ageless truth-a truth rooted in the very physical conditions of a woman's life, an inexorable truth proclaimed not only by the experience of distant centuries but also of those more recent in our era of consuming industrialization, of seeking for vindication, of competitive sport-that the woman makes the home and takes care of it and that the man can never replace her in this? This is the mission which nature and her union with man has imposed upon her for the good of society itself. Entice her away, lure her far from her family with one of those many attractions that vie to overcome and conquer, and you will see the woman leave her family hearth untended. Without this fire, the atmosphere of the home grows cold. For all practical purposes the home will cease to exist and will be transformed into a precarious refuge of a few hours. The center of daily life will move elsewhere for the husband, for herself, and for the children." Dear Newlyweds. by Pope Pius XII "Present living conditions resulting from today's economic and social status, due to the custom in the professions, arts and crafts of accepting men and women in workshops, offices and various employments, tend to engender and introduce on a practical scale a broad parity between the activities of a woman and those of a man, so that husbands and wives very often find themselves in a situation that almost approaches equality. Frequently a husband and wife practice similar professions and contribute an almost equal amount to the family budget through personal effort. Yet because of this same work they come to lead lives quite independent from each other. Meanwhile, how are the children whom God sends them to be cared for, protected, educated, and instructed? You see them-we would not say abandoned-but very frequently entrusted to strange hands from their first years, formed and guided more by others than by their own mother who is far away from them practicing her profession. Is it any wonder that the sense of family authority begins to weaken and, as it loses hold, gradually disappears entirely, since the father's control and the mother's care are inadequate to create a happy and loving family life?" Rerum Novarum, published on May 15, 1891: Women, again, are not suited for certain occupations; a woman is by nature fitted for home-work, and it is that which is best adapted at once to preserve her modesty and to promote the good bringing up of children and the well-being of the family. Quadragesimo Anno, promulgated in 1931: In the first place, the worker must be paid a wage sufficient to support him and his family.[46] That the rest of the family should also contribute to the common support, according to the capacity of each, is certainly right, as can be observed especially in the families of farmers, but also in the families of many craftsmen and small shopkeepers. But to abuse the years of childhood and the limited strength of women is grossly wrong. Mothers, concentrating on household duties, should work primarily in the home or in its immediate vicinity. It is an intolerable abuse, and to be abolished at all cost, for mothers on account of the father’s low wage to be forced to engage in gainful occupations outside the home to the neglect of their proper cares and duties, especially the training of children.
Dr. Gress, You are incredibly bright, dynamic and relatable; I look forward to reading your books. Matthew, yet another amazing interview. You have exposed me to so many amazing authors and topics that I was not familiar with. My to-read book list is derived from your podcast, there are so many that I am looking forward to. Thank you for the great work that you are doing.
Really great conversation, thank you both. Seems like Dr. Gresse’s name should be somewhere in the title or description, no? This is the first time I’m hearing of her work and had to go to the comments to be reminded of her name.
As if the “French Revolution” just happened, and wasn’t perpetrated by the historic enemies of the Church. Leave it to a female historian to leave that out and blame it on the psychological “brokenness” of individual women (who were stage managed) by the real perpetrators.
Most men don’t listen to women because they were socialized to treat us like we are not human. Which is women are better off without men who maintain patriarchy.
Didn’t know there was a feminist First Wave? Second Wave feminism obviously means there had to be an antecedent. It’s like saying you didn’t know there was a First World War. At the time it was “The Great War” between European empires and their dominions and colonies. But once another European war between nation states resulting from the Treaty of Versailles and empires broke out ie a second global war ie the Second World War, then the Great War logically became the First World War. I had to point out to my parish priest that the Welcome Pope I was incorrect because there hadn’t been a Pope Francis yet. The analogy is Queen Elizabeth of England was couldn’t be termed Queen Elizabeth I until there was a second queen named Elizabeth ie Queen Elizabeth II. PS: Fr Craig took my point in good spirit and at next Sunday Mass the banner proclaimed “Welcome Pope Francis”. PPS: Some may point to Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex’ prior to Friedan’s ‘Feminine Mystique” as the beginning of Second Wave feminism. As a French intellectual however her book might be considered intellectual and philosophical and that Friedan’s book was the first book to popularise feminism, followed by Germaine Greer’s ‘The Female Eunuch’ the close second.
Marriage isn’t dying it is changing from a male dominated complementarian institution to an egalitarian mutual voluntary commitment that is founded in a deep spiritual bond of love and joy. Feminism is completely consistent with this vision❤❤❤
Feminism is not about marriage but it's been about the destruction of American Family by attacking Patriarch by ending his power by ending monogamy by promotion of promiscuity sensuality homosexuality and prostitution. That's the facts and feminism has ushered in Antichrist Spirit destruction of Western Civilization 💀
Egalitarian more like gynocentrick. No there's such thing as equal marriage man and woman don't have same motivation. Seems like only loves to hears yourself.
There was a group of religious nuns in our community who devoted itself to Mary the Blessed Mother. They were promptly excommunicated by Pope John Paul. Hopefully the present Pope, Francis, would be more accepting.
