I was raised around strong women, and I greatly admire and respect them. My grandmother was the head of our family, my grandpa was the silent type. Rarely spoke, but people listened when he did. She basically ran the entire extended family. Not in a controlling manner, she was an awesome person and highly respected and loved.

My mom is the strongest person I know, she denied herself so many things and worked so much through my childhood, she was rarely home. To this day, she is always visiting my wife and I, trying to help us as much as possible. She makes her rounds trying to help all her kids and grandkids.

My dad was... not a great role model. He went to work, put in his 40 hours and checked out. Went home and bitched and moaned and groaned all night, never helped around the house, was verbally and slightly physically abusive. I remember him shooting us with wads of paper when I was about 6 from a hunting crossbow that left huge welts. I preferred the belt to the 3 hour fucking bitchfests when we fucked up.

You know it is bad when your kids are begging you to just beat them and get it over with. All three of us kids ran away from home in our mid-teens to get away from the bastard. He has had 2 strokes, I am hoping for one more to finish the fucker off.

Long story, but the point is, some of my best role models were women. I love them and consider them equal to men. They can be just as good, but also just as shitty. That is why I am an MRA and not MGTOW.