Editor's Letter

Fri., Feb. 24, 2006

Dear reader:

As a woman, I guess I am biased when I say I think women should be in the lead. (I tell my husband that frequently!) Joking aside, the discussion really shouldn�t be about women�or men�in the lead at all. It should be about

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women and men working together as partners to advance gender equity. But, perhaps that statement assumes that we are starting from a level playing field. The reality is that we are not.

While I take the view that men and women each have distinctive contributions to make to society, the opportunities for women still remain far below those of men in most parts of the world. Taking a �glass half full� perspective, there is no question that we, as a global community, have made great strides toward gender equality�especially over the past several decades. I think that needs to be recognized. It�s also true, however, that discriminations against women in the workplace, terrible practices like female infanticide, laws favoring men, and violence against women�just to name a few�are still problems that haunt us in the modern era.

Special thanks to our expert reviewer for this issue, Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, an adviser working closely with the United Nations on issues of peacebuilding and conflict prevention and former director of the Policy Commission at Women Waging Peace.

At one level, I was intrigued by putting together this issue because I can relate to the topic in a personal way. At another level though, I wish this issue didn't have to exist at all. Since women represent half of the world�s population, one shouldn�t even have to make the case that women need to be better treated and better represented than they are. That should be an accepted fact.

Alas, the reality remains that women can�t really be in the lead when, in many cases, they don�t even have a place at the table. Nonetheless, it is interesting to contemplate what our world might look like if women had more of a role in shaping its economic and social policies. In this issue, we do look at women�especially at the local level�who have been at the forefront of everything from peace negotiations to turning businesses around to being a cohesive force for their communities. There is no shortage of incredible women doing incredible things, both individually and collectively. Maybe it�s that accumulation of activities�with the support of men who know what their stake is in advancing gender equity�that will make a difference over the longer term.

With my husband Mitch!

Ultimately, it will take more than just laws to change current practices; it will take a transformation of minds and hearts to appreciate the tremendous benefits that can arise from men and women working together as equal partners.

Zarrin T. Caldwell
Editor, OneWorld Perspectives
OneWorld United States

Attached files

OneWorldPerspectives7-Women.pdf

778.67 KB

OneWorld Perspectives Issue 7: Women in the Lead; February 2006 [in .pdf format]