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What if Women Ran the World?

Sheila Flood | Dec 23, 2016

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.

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Sheila Flood | Dec 23, 2016

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.

Would it make a difference to peace efforts to have more women involved in the governance of our world, at every level?

The world has seen female heads of government in the past, and according to the United Nations, we have 18 today, out of almost 200 countries in the world. It hasn’t seemed to make a huge difference in global politics yet, but perhaps the number of women in international positions of leadership is still too small to see trends emerging in that sea of masculinity.

Mary-Wynne Ashford

DescriptionMary-Wynne Ashford is Past President of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War which won the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize.

So how do we escape from the gravity of the systems we’ve inherited and build more balanced systems of governance that reflect the equitable, peaceful future we actually want?

History shows that the mightier and more aggressive among us have usually ruled. But this dominance has gradually begun to change to a more peaceful age emphasizing human rights and diplomatic solutions, a trend examined by such thinkers as Steven Pinker and Mary-Wynne Ashford. Both have tracked our steady progress toward less violence and fewer wars, despite widespread impressions to the contrary.

It’s interesting to note that this long term change was foreseen spanning far into the future by the Baha’i teachings:

The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine and more permeated with the feminine ideals, or, to speak more exactly, will be an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly balanced. – Abdu’l-Baha, from a 1912 newspaper interview, Star of the West, Volume 2, p. 4.

Of course, linking women and peace will often elicit the response that women are no more inherently peaceful than men. It’s quite true that we shouldn’t pre-judge any individual on the basis of gender any more than race or ethnicity. But collectively, in all those cases, there is an argument for bringing numbers up to reflect the social mix. This involves overcoming expectations and patterns of thought so ingrained as to be invisible to us.

I remember being encouraged as a young woman in the 1970’s to “enter a man’s world” and “compete on an equal basis.” This terminology was unquestioned at the time, even among feminists. We’ve come a long way. The next step seems so obvious: to appreciate and respect gender differences equally. The Baha’i teachings say when women proudly own and men aspire to those qualities traditionally regarded as feminine, we will be on the path to a golden age:

The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged prerequisites of peace. The denial of such equality perpetrates an injustice against one half of the world’s population and promotes in men harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the workplace, to political life, and ultimately to international relations. There are no grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such denial can be justified. Only as women are welcomed into full partnership in all fields of human endeavour will the moral and psychological climate be created in which international peace can emerge. – Universal House of JusticeThe Promise of World Peace, p. 3.

It’s heartening to know that Baha’i teachings such as these were once considered radical, no matter where you lived in the world. Since its inception in 1844 in Iran, equality of the sexes has been one of the Baha’i Faith’s foundational teachings. I’ve always found this long-term vision to be inspiring and a good antidote to any passing political malaise.

On International Women’s Day in 1993 – almost 25 years ago – the statement issued by the United Nations spoke a truth that continues to carry weight:

The struggle for women’s rights, and the task of creating a new United Nations, able to promote peace and the values which nurture and sustain it, are one and the same. Today – more than ever – the cause of women is the cause of all humanity.

In spite of constant but uneven progress, that watershed moment to collectively choose world peace has so far eluded us. It will require enormous effort and broad-based philosophical change to consciously build systems of governance committed to mutual collaboration, non-violence and the nurturing of the human spirit. It makes intuitive sense that greater involvement of women would speed along this cultural evolution, and that sufficient numbers will be necessary to tip the balance. Sooner or later, we’ll get there.

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Comments

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  • Pina Delfin Lim
    Oct 10, 2020
    -
    The “How do I become a Bahá’í” keeps blocking the text being read.
    It should only be written at the end of the article.
  • Marty Schirn
    Aug 21, 2020
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    GREAT ARTICLE! I don't know if you're aware of this, but 'Abdu'l-Baha said the following in Promulgation of Universal Peace: "Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it. Mothers will not give their sons as sacrifices upon the battlefield after twenty years of anxiety and loving devotion in rearing them from infancy, no matter what cause they are called upon to defend. There is no doubt that when women obtain equality of rights, war will entirely cease among mankind." My understanding of this ...quote is that ultimately women will establish world peace. So to women everywhere: keep striving for full equal rights. You will change the world!!!!
    Read more...
  • Lani Dyck
    Aug 14, 2020
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    This is precisely why I believe Baha'u'llah limited the Universal House of Justice to men only. Because in the future, the world will be run by women. With women being the world's leaders and men on the Universal House, it will provide balance of the sexes when they consult together. At least, that's my theory.
  • Hilton McConnell
    Jan 16, 2017
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    Instead of international women day, why not international people day, That would be true UNITY.
    Women and Man are equal, why a day for one and not the other, this confuses me when we say one culture or sex are all the same but have special days for them, to me that is seperating them not uniting.
    With Great Love For All Gods People
    Hilton & Azamat
    • Nerina Čorbadžić
      Feb 10, 2018
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      Once we achieve UNITY, an international women day won't be needed.
    • Nerina Čorbadžić
      Feb 10, 2018
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      If women were not discriminated against, there would be no need to remind us about gender based discrimination and motivate people to value women with an international women day.
    • Rich Allen
      Jan 25, 2017
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      Agreed.
  • Lee J Panek III
    Dec 26, 2016
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    Classism and all of the sub-categories such as racism and sexism are addictions (acquired behaviors usually reinforced by acceptance). When relating with addicts, it is an act of futility to expect different behavior from the addictive pattern when the addict is still in denial of their addiction.
    Fortunately, many men and women are in varying stages of coming out of denial about sexism and are free to explore the benefits of behaviors other than the divisive nature of this misunderstanding. This is a potential in human evolution that, I believe, is worthy of exploration.
    ...
    I'd like to see more emphasis on elucidating the benefits of men and women working together as God intended.
    Nice article, Sheila.
    Read more...
  • Judith Rassenti
    Dec 24, 2016
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    A fascinating book well worth reading that talks about periods in history where women's values were more dominant (particularly medieval times) and why is: The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image is a work of critical theory by American surgeon Leonard Shlain, published by Viking Press in 1998.
    The Alphabet Versus the Goddess - Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alphabet_Versus_the_Goddess
  • Judith Poltz
    Dec 23, 2016
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    This is a great article, but the caption, "What if Women Ran the World?", is misleading. We are not seeking that women should run the world, but that women and men should run the world together in harmony.
    • Dec 25, 2016
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      I actually agree and think the topic is more off putting but the actual article is excellent.
  • Fiona Saunders-Priem
    Dec 23, 2016
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    An excellent article, Sheila. You write from the heart, soul and mind. Your insights shed a clearly defined light onto how our modern culture has changed and continues to evolve. They resonate with the quotations you cite, and look to the long term development of the human race.
  • Patricia Verge
    Dec 23, 2016
    -
    Really great article, Sheila, written with all three of idealism, realism and optimism.
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