Women Well Loved

[seabeyond]

?w=377&h=503
Unfortunately, disguises won’t get us into office. The United States ranks 81st in the world with respect to women representation in government.





HOWEVER. When someone else does the ranting, especially an articulate, well-informed, and inspiring man, I give him mad props. Here are excerpts from Yahsar Ali’s recent article about the state of women in the western world. I hear the message loud and clear: If I stop noticing that I live in a world where men are more often in power, making the rules, and making more money, I’m perpetuating the problem. My awareness of gender inequality is a crucial step to changing the world for myself and my children. Go Yashar, Go!:

“This column isn’t about a lack of gratitude, or not honoring the women (and a few men) who have helped get the gender battle to where it is today. It’s about turning off our auto-pilot and realizing we–in the Western world–still have far to go in the fight for gender equity. Many of us (mostly men) move about so easily in our lives, unaware of the imbalance, but for so many women, they are painfully aware. This past year, I’ve been told by lots of people that I am ‘too angry,’ when it comes to advocacy for gender equity. It’s funny, because I’ve been angrier before, it’s just my anger had nothing to do with women’s rights, so people didn’t have much to say about it.

As a man, I’ve always been given room to feel angry, but now that I’m addressing something related to women, my anger is now criticized and maligned. I’m angry that our system of government has been co-opted by one sex, leading to an incredible imbalance in governance.

I’m angry–angry that women don’t see accurate representations of themselves in the media. Angry that the media, at large, has attempted to write off the sexism women face by declaring as The Atlantic did, ‘the end of men,’ when men continue to dominate positions of power and influence. I’m angry that women’s voices are still muted in many subtle ways.”

So often I hear men tell me that women would be better off if they weren’t so “intense” about women’s rights. I’ve heard men I respect and love infer that the only real problem is the one we’re creating. This used to bring me outrage but I’ve learned to cultivate sympathy. The men telling me this feel powerless.

They’re part of a new generation where they respect their mothers’ careers, admire their female colleagues, and feel inadequate around potential romantic partners. These men don’t feel sympathy for women’s inequality because they know in their hearts that women are equal and sometimes better than them, yet they live in a world where this is not okay. They’re told: ”a real man is always strong, a real man is always the best, a real man doesn’t act weak, a real man doesn’t need a woman.”

I’ve learned to feel sympathy for all men but I refuse to allow any of us to minimize the truth about gender in America. The truth is that men, just by being born, have a head start on every woman they’ll ever meet. Being a man gives them privilege, they can do with it what they want. By choosing to complain about the fact that their feelings are hurt instead of participating in positive language and activities that negate gender inequality, they’re hurting themselves in the long run. By acknowledging the outer truths about reality we empower ourselves to face our inner Truth.

http://womenwellloved.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/turn-off-autopilot-inequality-is-our-reality/
___________________________

so much more in this article from Yashar Ali