When Did Structure Become "Masculine Energy" - And Why Is That a Bad Thing?

I attended a couple different roundtable discussions recently and I noticed something.

At the first one, there were several energetic practitioners present, women who were deep into energy, soul, and the feminine. And glancing around, I realized I was the only person in that circle who was truly focused on systems, structure, and organization as a method for moving a business forward.

During the discussion, one participant shared how systems and structure carried a "masculine" energy and the implication was a distinctly negative connotation.

A short time later, I attended another discussion. Again, I was confronted with a leader in the human design and energetics space who attributed systems and structure to “masculine” energy. And again, with that same negative, almost dismissive tone.

As I sat there listening in both instances, I found myself feeling a little attacked.

Of course, they weren't attacking me personally. But the focal point of my entire business is built around the reality that systems, structure, and organization are pivotal to sustainable growth. I don’t consider myself “masculine”. I consider myself strong, disciplined, focused and strategic.

So why are those strengths being questioned? Why have they been given a negative label?

I live and work in an ecosystem of women business owners. Many of the women I interact with naturally gravitate toward feminine energy - focusing on internal cues, soul alignment, and energetic wisdom. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

However, I feel that women who operate through direct structure, strategy, and order have been mislabeled as operating in "masculine" energy. And I don’t think that’s true at all.

What’s actually wrong with operating through structure, systems, and strategy? Why can’t we utilize both? When did execution become a gendered trait and why are we pitting these energies against each other? They can co-exist. And frankly, they should co-exist.

You need order, structure, and strategy to build a successful, sustainable business that achieves your vision. But you also need to listen to your intuition, understand what feels aligned, and stay true to yourself.

Order, structure, and strategy are my innate skills. That’s where I thrive. But I also have a strong intuitive side that I listen to regularly. I believe pairing both sides together is how you find true alignment in life and business. I haven't sacrificed my feminine side to build my business; I utilize both every day.

As I reflected on this topic further, I began to wonder: What is the marketing strategy behind dismissing the 'masculine' and promoting the 'feminine'? And why do we feel the need to label these traits in the first place?

All humans operate differently. We all have different strengths. Yes, there is a conditioned voice we navigate, and yes, we live in a traditionally patriarchal society; I’m not dismissing those facts.

But when we label operational characteristics like systems, metrics, and discipline as "masculine" with a negative twist, we are inadvertently telling women who possess those traits that their natural strengths are bad, undesired, or un-soulful.

That is doing a massive disservice to those women. But even more than that, it’s doing a disservice to the entire community of women trying to build real businesses.

Those "undesirable" traits are exactly what’s needed to help you scale. When we tell women that business should be built through "flow" without a solid framework to shape it, we leave them exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering why their brilliant vision isn't translating into sustainable income.

Structure is not the enemy to feminine energy. It's the infrastructure that protects it.