The Power of Anger

Especially for Women

Dear Sisters and Friends,

My sweetheart said to me the other day ‘there’s no point in getting angry’. He was referring to a money conflict he was having in his family (unrelated to gender). “Hmm”, I replied, “I don’t know about that.”

We left it there but here’s why I think ‘getting angry’, feeling one’s anger, and turning it into positive action can be so useful -- especially for women.

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So many women, myself included, have been raised on the ‘sugar and spice and all things nice’ message. Be sweet. Smooth things over. Be polite. Defer (to the patriarchy). Many of us were taught to stuff our anger (god forbid we confront injustice). That’s why our rates of depression are typically twice as high as men – anger turned inwards, we have turned it on ourselves.