Update: I am the only woman on a volunteer community stewardship board. Chair of the board decided to send this only to me, none of the men. I have a demanding full time job in healthcare, M-F.

This is the response I sent to the chair of the stewardship organization after receiving the email detailed in my last post.

A few things to note:

1. I understand why someone might be more comfortable having a woman watching their children than a man, and can agree that it’s awful that as a society we have to be so afraid of leaving children with men. That is not what this is about.

2. I don’t have any children, and usually have a hard time relating to them. Kids just aren’t really my thing. The men on the board have never experienced me interacting with kids.

3. This is a volunteer role that I took on in hopes of contributing positively to my community. I do not get paid, and stand to lose nothing by posting these emails (other than getting booted off the board, therefore being set free of its grim misogynistic culture).

4. The date in question is a Wednesday. I would have to take time off of work to “look after” these kids.