The Feminine Genius: The Superpower of Women

In our modern world, any attempt at making a large generalization including a specific subset of people is bound to be controversial.  Added to this is the truth that almost all sweeping generalizations can appear to be refuted by individual examples where the general principle does not apply.  Of course, this plays out most readily in statements intended to include women vs. men, either their nature or their roles.  It is a very charged topic in our country, especially since the very definition of what a woman is eludes the world so completely at this time.  (It is interesting to note, as an aside, that while the phrase “what is a woman” has garnered some fame in scrambling the mind of society, the equal predicament of defining the converse “what is a man” is ignored).  Well aware of the narrow path I now tread, I would like to reflect upon the concept introduced by Pope Saint John Paul II which he refers to as the Feminine Genius, and hint at some ramifications it may have for the conversations surrounding gender roles within society.  In this article, advised as I am at the dangers of making sweeping statements, I claim that all women do possess the feminine genius, and that this same genius is in fact always non-existent in men, at least in one sense.  

The feminine genius was introduced as a term in the year 1988 with the publication of the encyclical Mulieris Dignitatem and would reappear in the year 1995 in his “Letter to Women”.  Explained briefly, the feminine genius is a function that naturally rises from the biological capacities of women which predisposes them by virtue of their bodies to more readily encounter, accept, and uphold the dignity of human life and the personhood of another human.  To quell the societal conversation with my own definition: a woman is a human being with XX chromosomes, who in the natural course of biology and without interference by artificial or other irregular natural means experiences a regular cycle of fertility complemented by periodic times of infertility in a naturally healthy rhythm.  This rhythm and its purpose is the basis for what Pope Saint John Paul II refers to as the feminine genius.

The dichotomy and relationship between virginity and motherhood are two essential elements of femininity itself and thereby essential to the both the existence and unfolding of the genius of women.  In the natural course of events, women have within their very bodies an intrinsic capacity for unique bond and love for a human being, developing into a deep capacity for recognizing the inherent value of human beings.  Of course, it would not be true to assert that all women have the ability to recognize the dignity of humans simply by virtue of their being women: women are fallen human beings after all, not superheroes avoiding the pitfalls of Original Sin.  Nor is the claim that only women who can bear children or are health possess the elements required of the feminine genius: as was mentioned in my tentative definition of woman, various ailments and fortunes affect the biological functions of the woman.  Though by her very nature woman is oriented towards childbirth and maternity regardless of individual physicalities, God sees fit to bless and task each individual with different crosses, not negating or offending their being as woman by denying them conception but drawing them closer to Himself through individual crosses.  No, the claim of the feminine genius is merely that by virtue of the natural biological functions of a woman’s body (operative or not), she is predisposed to being able to cultivate the ability to more readily acts in response to the person of the encountered subject.  The feminine genius is a reference to and result of the miracle of virginity, conception, childbirth and the maternal instinct, and the effect it can have on the women who (by virtue of their being women) can undergo this transformation.  

Does this then give men the license to ignore the dignity due to the human subject?  of course not!  Men are not exempt from the capacity to recognize the inherent dignity of the humans they encounter: quite the opposite.  All humans are called to regard persons as both object of the encounter and a subject within that experience, the I-thou relationship spoken of by Pope Saint John Paul II and by virtue of this calling men must of necessity contain the ability to do so.  God does not call or require anything from His children that He does not equip them to do.  The difference here is that men’s biological functions do not predispose them to the recognition of human dignity.  There are men who indeed are predisposed to this regard for the human person, but I would posit that this is not due to their biological function as much as an individual grace from God, or perhaps even close encounters with someone who has developed their own feminine genius, such as a loving mother.  

Now we must return to the original statement of my opening paragraph: that all women do possess the feminine genius, and it is in fact always non-existent in men, at least in one sense.  That one sense is the nuance I put forth: while all women have the capacity for feminine genius by virtue of their sex, the benefits and full realization of that genius is left undeveloped in some women.  Likewise, by nature of their sex men can never have that feminine genius.  We are all called to encounter the other, to see the person and not the utilitarian or functional value of the human only.  A husband and father is a good husband and father only when he sees the person in his children, and the person of his wife.  The converse is no less true: that a wife and mother is only a good wife and mother when she sees the person of her children, and the person of her husband.  A human in general is always called to acknowledge and act according to the dignity of the person who is the object of their encounter, even if the particular circumstances and the stain of Original Sin make the actual seeing and encountering part impossible.  So much is true, in all times and all places.  Both of the sexes possess the ability and capacity to regard humans with the dignity appropriate to their status as subjective persons; the specific element that creates a “genius” within the feminine is her innate ability towards accepting life within herself, an ability which can predispose her in a specific and very direct way towards that appropriate encounter and reverence with another human person.