Rryan Hadeed
Throughout America's history, forty-three of its forty-four presidents have all been white–Christian–men. This trend was broken with the election of Barack Obama, the first black man to hold the exalted office. Now 2016 may turn out to be another year of 'firsts', this time with the possibility of Hilary Clinton winning the Democratic party's nomination. It means that the person who has always been called 'the most powerful man in the world' could very well end up being a woman. The US would finally be among a growing number of countries that have had a female head of government; including Margret Thatcher of the United Kingdom, Golda Meir of Israel, Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, and Kamla Persad-Bissessar of T&T. And yet, even as more and more women are breaking the glass ceiling in the public and private sectors, they still remain vastly outnumbered by their male counterparts. And with the odds stacked against them, how are they supposed to compete and excel in what is essentially a man's world?
Two weeks ago, in light of the recent abortion debate, I wrote about the importance of the need to maintain a separation between church and state. I purposely chose to refrain from discussing the debate itself because I didn't want to get wrapped up in the moral and spiritual implications. As far as I was, and still am concerned, this has nothing to do with religion and is really about fairness for everyone with respect to the law. However, the recent statements made by Harrypersad Maharaj, president of the Inter-Religious Organisation, shocked me as a citizen of this country and as a human being. His defence of marriages between adolescents under religious rights, citing it as an ancient tradition, is one of the most asinine things I have ever heard. Using that rational, slavery should also be protected considering that it's sanctioned in the Old Testament of the Bible! But what bothered me more than what he said was the fact that once again we have a man, like most religious leaders, speaking about matters involving the rights of the opposite sex. It begs the question–why are women constantly left out of those conversations when they ought to be leading them?
In the April 2, 2010 issue of Newsweek magazine, which was printed during the height of the Catholic Church's paedophilia scandal, an article by Lisa Miller made the argument that part of the problem lay in what she called the gender marginalisation in the world's, "Oldest and most elite all-male club." She also made the provocative assertion that the prolonged cover-up was the indirect result of the Vatican's lack of maternal insight owing to the continued practice of excluding women from its administrative hierarchy. Now while it may appear that I'm only picking on the Catholic Church, I will add that all religions are guilty of the same arrangement. Whether they be priests, pastors, pundits, or imams, with men in charge how are women supposed to be treated as equals? And the same applies to the political forum as well. For when it comes to civil liberties pertaining to female biological concerns, it cannot be left to the purview of men to adjudicate on things they are incapable of fully understanding. Just as a man doesn't need the Government's approval as to how and when he can use his reproductive organs, the same shouldn't be forced upon a woman with respect to hers.
There's also a larger problem at stake here, one that goes beyond simply advocating for gender equality via inclusion. It's no secret that T&T, like most developing societies, struggles with latent misogyny. According to the police service, in the last decade alone there have been over 10,000 reported cases of domestic violence. And news stories about abused and murdered spouses and girlfriends have long been a common fixture paraded by our media outlets. Part of combating this scourge is through empowerment, because not only must women's voices be heard, they must have the confidence to raise them. Promoting education and self-reliance will result in opportunities that are neither defined nor dependent on the presence of a man. They will also gain the awareness that life choices are theirs to make; whether that be the role of mother and/or wife, and having a career versus being a homemaker. Above all, they should be encouraged to have aspirations and receive support whenever and however they need it. Our nation continues to produce female laureates in varying fields; like Digicel CEO Sacha Thompson, Olympic-level gymnast Thema Williams, published poet and writer Vahni Capildeo, and Oxford-educated economist Senator Jennifer Raffoul. They are proof that a trail of excellence has already been laid, we just need more women to follow in their footsteps.
When referring to them as the 'fairer' sex, we should think of it as meaning impartial, even-handed, and honest in their judgments and decisions. So our society needs to pay more attention to the women's perspective, and they must be included in any and all decision-making processes. In keeping with the popular maxim that behind every good man is a better woman, perhaps it's time for 'Adam' to step aside and let 'Eve' take the lead. After all, if Mrs Clinton does end up winning the presidency, then Mr Clinton will have to do just that.