Women Are Always Sorry

Women need to stop saying sorry all the time. Fact, Women apologize more than men. But why?? Do we have more to apologize for? I doubt it. Women by and large have a lower threshold of personal behavioral accountability then men. Which means women will likely say sorry more often than men in their lifetimes. A 2010 study reflects this. The study shows less that women had more wrongdoing as accounted for by men, but rather they themselves believed their actions required an apology more often.

Sorry I exist?

Women, we have made it this far, but not without apology. Sorry to interrupt. Sorry I beat you at tennis. Sorry someone has to lose? The urge to apologize is something most women face daily. We want to nurture, we want fair play, we don’t disrupt naturally.

But where does apologizing for everything including things that are not our fault actually get us? Doe saying sorry every time we need something or get ahead on something set us back?

A Habit To Break

This idea that we are an emotional burden to others or in their way, perhaps? Is this where the onus to apologize comes from? Because women in their entirety are changing what they do on a daily basis and strive for goals, we should apologize??

While it is not detrimental, please understand this when you are raising your girls. Before women open their mouths our words feel like an opposition rather than a contribution. Women, it appears, out of habit have apologized often for simply existing. Women typically do this to finesse or smooth out conversations. It is kind, though unnecessary and often times, this behavior can be exhausting.

Sorry said too much can lose its meaning. But it is demeaning to us women to think we have anything to apologize for. Perhaps replace the next sorry with your welcome. It will likely be more appropriate given most scenarios women find themselves in.

So apologize when you actually have something to truly apologize for. Stop saying sorry, say you are welcome instead.