A good, clear post, Leo. Thanks so much.

And I agree - submission is a choice that I have because I have the right to choose. Just as I can choose to wear pants, work in a field that's only 10% female, stay home to raise my children (if finances allow) or do pretty much anything.

And the argument that some will make about women's "natural" submissiveness? I think that goes back to our relational outlook - we emphasis relationships and are willing and able to compromise in order to interact harmoniously with others, rather than focusing on being the "winner" in interactions. Is this a function of biology and how our brains work (differently from men) or how we are raised? I don't know the answer to that - I suspect it's a combination of the two. But in everyday life, it doesn't matter. We are all individuals, and we all have the gift of choosing how to conduct and identify ourselves. That is the greatest blessing of all, and one that I do believe came about for women as a result of the feminist movement.