Women power

WOMEN can really rejoice at the great achievements made by a few of them who made names in diverse spheres on the international stage. British Premier Theresa May, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, US Federal Reserve Chief Janet Yellen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are some of these women leaders. Not only women but also men all over the world are eagerly waiting for the results of the November election in the US to know whether the most powerful individual in the world for the next four years will be a woman or not. All the expectations are that Hillary Clinton will make history by becoming the first female president of the United States. It is also the time for women to sing with joy because not only at the White House but also at the headquarters of the United Nations and the Security Council, there are strong female candidates vying for the post of UN Secretary-General. As one Saudi writer put it, there is the prospect of “soft” iron fists ruling the world. The world is getting more and more feminized. However, it is doubtful whether this will be helpful in ending the discrimination against women taking place all over the world. Of course, there are variations in the degree of discrimination from one society to another, but discrimination against women is surely a global phenomenon. The election of the first black president in the United States has not brought an end to discrimination against African Americans in that country. The idea that the end of segregation and racial discrimination would come with an African American president has proved to be farcical and unrealistic. Racism against blacks still permeates American society. Also, feelings of stress and a sense of oppression haunt women and spoil any feeling of being secure and enjoying social harmony and cohesion. It seems to me that even if women in general celebrate the success stories of a few women at the helm, discrimination against them will prevail at least in a more disguised manner. We all know the fact that women who have proved the power of their leadership on the global arena — Margaret Thatcher and Condoleezza Rice, for example — had pursued a utilitarian policy to realize their interests, together with brute force and a dominating style of work. They adopted the standard tactics and mechanisms to pull success in the political realm. In this respect, we can’t say their performance was different from their male counterparts. I have the conviction that reform in the situation of women in the world is not possible without having an overhaul from top to bottom, and it must begin from the marginalized and oppressed sections of society. They should be provided with support and laws need to be enacted in order to protect them from poverty, humiliation and injustice. We can congratulate those women who grabbed a leading position on the global arena and the credit for this goes to them first and foremost before anyone else. These women pulled it off after fighting against various odds, especially social ignominy and the prevailing belief that women are incapable of holding key positions.