The Jab

No one can deny that in the last few decades the movement to place women on equal footing with their male counterparts has made great strides. In every facet of life, women have proven that they can be as capable as men, whether it be in a work environment, politics, diplomacy and just about every other position that one can conjure up. Of course, the numbers don’t lie; the boys continue to top the charts in great numbers when it comes to running things outside of the home.

I believe the main reason is that it takes time to shed the doctrine that we’ve been living with for hundreds, even thousands of years. As long as there are people who continue to believe that men are intellectually superior to women, that women cannot ‘handle’ difficult or important situations as well as males, the updating will be slow. The process of changing the way the populus thinks is extremely slow, generations are needed to change mindsets.

Only once all parents consciously educate their children to respect both men and women equally will the tide shift, it will be the only effective way to set a new course. Having said this, the same goes for racism and homophobia, to name just a couple. The key is how we bring up our children, and yes, we have to be present, not delegating this most important of jobs to others. I know, it’s easy to put down on paper but a huge challenge in the world we find ourselves in, that’s why it will be a long road to travel. Women have suffered at the hands of men for so long that patience is at a premium, but there’s really no choice but to be patient while paving the way to the respect they deserve. We want to believe that most people see the light, yet there is still resistance from those who aren’t willing to entertain the idea. Up until not so long ago, the film industry still cast women in roles of frailty and insecurity, to be ‘rescued’ by men. Look at social media today and you still find misogynistic content flourishing. I do believe that most who publish this kind of thing are not aware that what their putting out is necessarily harmful, but if we want equality, then we have to see everything in the new light that guides humanity to awareness. That’s another way, obviously, the way things have also moved forward, through awareness, just like with racism and other sorts of stereotypes.

We’ve come a long way, especially in the last 10 to 20 years, but this progress has also begat a push back from those who like things as they are; divided. It will, in my opinion, be a slow grind for many years to come, people don’t like being told that they’re wrong. It’s difficult to be patient, but slow and steady does usually win the proverbial race. The world mood is distracted and tense, making the task all that more strenuous, but the battle against stereotyping is one worth waging.

Fiquem bem,

Raul Freitas/MS