While there are many Jewish values that I appreciate, one of the more myopic traditions is the antiquated role and treatment of women. Women are separated from men in prayer so as not to distract them with their feminine wiles. And while most of the time I can avoid this by finding a more egalitarian means of prayer, this was not the case when visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the holiest spot in the world. Because of politics that I won’t go into, this means that not only are there separate men and women’s sides, but that the men’s side is about 3/4 of the wall, leaving the women with a measly 1/4. And because a more equal amount of each gender show up to pray at the wall, this means that the women have to stand in line in hordes while the men get to spread out and worship and dance…a prime example of man-spreading.
Pro-Tip: There is a southern section of the Wall called Robinson’s Arch which allows egalitarian prayer (sometimes). Unfortunately, I didn’t know about it at the time of my visit.