Athens, Greece - If the long march of civilization does not collapse due to some unforeseen catastrophe, the 21st Century should be the era of women's liberation. There is a long way to go still. Even in the most progressive societies, it is clear that women, though in theory and by law enjoy equal rights, in practice are often under-represented in political office, the top tiers of business, and, positions of religious leadership. In vast parts of the world, women are still prisoners of social habits and religious oppression. But change is inevitable.
Women are being freed from the bonds of nature that allowed men to force them into subservient roles. This may be happening faster in the so-called Western nations (and faster in some of these nations than in others), but the pattern has been established everywhere. Education and technology eradicate the advantage of brute strength; modern medicine frees women from mortal danger in their activities; the increasing need for both parents to work, and the paradigm of liberation that was established in the West in the past century all push toward true equality of the sexes.
Looking at some societies that today appear rigid in their oppression of women, it might seem as if things have never been worse: Women are given a glimpse of freedom but are then subjected to continued oppression and exploitation. Some of these societies will indeed take a long time to change, not only because they are under the thumb of paternalistic religions but also because women themselves are often the most conservative members of such dogmatic systems. But as long as the alternative is evident and people can see both the justice and the mutual benefits of equality of the sexes, then there will always be parents who encourage their daughters to get an education and husbands who decide to share the benefits and the burdens of equality with their wives. Women's liberation is very much a project of changing values and needs in a society, but it will depend mostly on the love and respect that women engender among those closest to them. This is the strength of women -- their potential to create, to produce and, at last, to lead.
Religious intolerance is not an insurmountable obstacle to women's progress. Religions can make themselves irrelevant or simply decorative parts of our psychological needs when they do not keep up with developments in society. We can see this in the West and even in the Eastern Orthodox churches where perhaps the majority of the members of the church live their lives according to far more liberal principles than their dogma permits. In Greek civilization -- from mythological times -- there have always been strong women chafing against the constraints of autocratic fathers, social inequality, and religious dogma.
Until our day, women might have had decisive power within the family, but not in the public sphere. But, in my generation, for the first time women are showing the awesome power of their potential outside the home. This will shape every aspect of our society. It is a revolution that did not begin here and will not stop here. Its seeds are everywhere.
And if all else fails, we can always go back to the Greek myths with their armed and dangerous female warriors -- the Amazons. They can provide us with a different kind of liberation struggle!
Please e-mail PostGlobal if you'd like to receive an email notification when PostGlobal sends out a new question.
