16 September 2010

I've been reading The Feminine Mystique lately (more on that later in the form of a book review), and I have to say it's been making me kind of depressed. I read what this woman wrote in 1963, nearly fifty years ago, and I can't help but see how little we've come since then. It seems as if being allowed to wear pants and allowed to be professionals and allowed to do pretty much anything is enough for women. It's not about being allowed to do things, it's about doing them, and asserting our power and perspective as women in positions of leadership. I truly believe that women posess a kind of intellect and reason that would make them far superior leaders to our male counterparts. Those behavioral characteristics that are inherently feminine - consciousness, nonviolence, maternal instinct - ought to be the traits desired in a political leader, especially in this 21st century, when diplomacy and compromise should be prevailing. No longer do we need leaders with good battle instinct or military strategy. We need leaders who won't be corrupted by power or money, who are working for humanity and morality and not political gain. Now, more than ever, we need women.