Wednesday, 12 August 2015

I have given it a serious thought. The issue of the discrimination between men and women and why, if women claim to be equal to men, is there a shortage of female leaders compared to male leaders, in every field. 

About a hundred years ago, the IQ of women was considered to be far lower than men's IQ. This trend was taken as a 'fact' and women were restricted to the roles that didn't involve any innovative thinking. With time, women started getting a little exposure to education, science and technology, and today even when the discrimination and the gender assigned rigid roles still exist, the average male and female IQ is equal, with no significant differences in their problem solving abilities. So it was not the female intellect that was deficient in the past, but instead it was the underrepresentation of women in all fields, and their relegation to passive roles. Even the women who went to school, got education to make good wives. They were restricted to roles that did not involve creative thinking or genius of any kind. Even today, there exists a great gap between the number of men and the number of women who hold the most important positions in companies and governments. But that, i believe is a transition phase. These stats could not have changed overnight. Today as people , we are transcending our learnt behaviors, we don't follow 'trends' just because they are there unless there is any meaning or sense in them. Women are educators, pilots, doctors, scientists, astrophysicists, politicians, prime ministers and what not. True, there are fewer female presidents or prime ministers in the world than male ones. There are more male leaders than female ones. But it does not reflect on their 'limited abilities'. It reflects on the discrimination. the inhibition that still exists, the lack of equal opportunities. But this inhibition will cease one day. The shift will happen when the wheels of transition stop spinning.
All it takes is support, the knowledge that you are no less, an equal ground to fight on. 
Khalida Brohi was any other girl in Balochistan, who, if she had had a traditional father would have been married off at a young age, or 'honour killed' for daring to love at her will. But once she was given a chance to test her abilities, she became a phenomenon. Even the hostile circumstances that she faced and the hateful attitude of the people towards her worked in her favor. 
Tomorrow the powerful women in Pakistan, and the world in general won't be 'exceptions' they will be a norm.Tomorrow no one will bat an eyelash when a female leader walks on stage. Tomorrow the women like Khalida Brohi and many other social activists will take the backseat. Because there will be no reason to 'protect' the rights of women.
The stats will improve. The transition will come full circle because there is no logical reason for a woman to stay behind a man.

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