Gender Equality: Some Thoughts

This post will leave you provoked if you don't read it completely.

One of the most misunderstood concepts today in my opinion is gender equality. Take a step back and ask yourself what this phrase means to you.

Equal capability?

If you take physical ability, on the face of it: Men have a higher level of strength as well as stamina. One of the most straightforward examples of this is the field of sports. But you can extend to any physically intensive activity. Men will demonstrate a higher physical capacity.

Unless you account for body weight, body structure, muscle mass, etc. Then things become clearer: Viewed proportionally and from the right perspective, you see an underlying equality of tenacity and spirit.

But how often do you see this depth of thought? And how often an insistence to play *exactly the same physical roles as men in exactly the same situations* 🙂?

Let's move on:

If you take ability to respond to disasters and environmental and social instability, women will surprise you with how tenacious they are. When things start falling apart, time and again women have shown a higher capacity to lead than men. When there's chaos all around, women almost always demonstrate a higher capacity to keep not just families but entire communities together. I hope you can see that this is very very non trivial. The tsunami is an example that stands out. If you dig in, you will see that many women in many parts of the world dug deep and helped entire communities survive and move on. The present Covid19 pandemic is another example itself: the best responses have been from women leaders : New Zealand, Germany, Taiwan. The worst, from men leaders - with Trump, Bolsonaro and many of our own illustrious politicians leading the way.

But again, go a bit deeper: Women have evolved in comparative silence, shade and security while men have historically gone out, grappled with weather, hunted and gathered, braved the elements to provide for and protect their families. That's excellence in its own right and has nurtured different aspects of intelligence in men. Many men leaders of different nations have governed energetically and dynamically, taken their countries forward on the path of development brilliantly, brought economic fulfillment to their people, fought and won against adversaries within and without. This is an equally important expression of intelligence and ability.

Again, if you don't exercise a depth of thought, you'll likely see an unequality where there's actually none.

Shift to emotional strength and women will show a higher level of frailty. At the same time, an enhanced capacity to display affection.

Each gender has its strengths, it's frailties (Observe: I did not use the word weakness). It's always been this way, always will be.

So if gender equality means "equal capability" to you, you'll need to look a bit deeper. If you view things simply at the surface, you'll struggle to sense the underlying equality.

Neither is gender equality about feminity or masculinity. Men becoming more effeminate or women becoming more masculine is not going to get you there either.

Gender equality simply and directly means both genders are equally important, have equal rights and equal freedom to live their lives exactly as they want to. At home, at work, everywhere. No one is subservient to anyone else. Period.

But we all still need to play to our strengths, respect others for theirs, and win together.

Move away from balance on one side and you are faced with gender suppression and violence. Move away from balance to the other side and you have unnecessary conflicts that don't really take us anywhere.

Just be at the balance point. Just respect yourself, respect others, and ensure that no one undermines and exploits anyone else.

Then, and only then, is life a celebration.

Else it's just a pendulum moving from one exploitative extreme to the other.