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Good News--At Least They Look Like Us! 9/7/2006 2:03:16 PM
I think this one is self-explanatory. Check it out at
http://biz.yahoo.com/special/women06_article1.html Who are the most powerful women in the world? Forbes published its list today, and I was amazed at how many women were Presidents of countries! Imagine that…
I seem to remember in the not-so-distant past (less than 50 years ago), it was thought that women were poor leaders. Oh sure, we could run a household, manage the kids’ daily schedules, perhaps even work outside the home while doing so (as if that doesn’t show leadership ability), but to run a country—unheard of! Our little brains just could not take the complexities of finance, and our emotional ‘delicacy’ was unsuited for handling the ‘difficult’ situations often presented in leadership roles.
Well, how attitudes have changed. The Prime Minister of Germany, who Forbes chose as the most powerful woman in the world, is a woman.
I am reminded of a recent encounter I had with a gentleman who still held the attitude (subtly, of course) that women need to be taken care of. Not that I’m against that—take care of me any day, in the style I’m accustomed to, and you’ve got a friend in me for life. But this guy acted as if his wife couldn’t be the breadwinner, and that’s what sent me reeling. I couldn’t help myself--I had to torment him a bit, as he arrogantly spoke about what he does for his ‘woman’—how she wants for nothing, how he takes care of paying the household bills, etc. Sounds pretty good, eh?
Most folks who bothered to listen to him thought so. That was, until I asked if his ‘woman’ worked outside the home. When he responded yes, most of the women in the group roared with laughter. Why?
How is he taking care of her, when she is bringing home a salary as well?
“Well,” he explained, “Her income is completely disposable.” He does not require her to pay any bill in the house. Nice deal, we thought.
“So, what does she do with her money?” I probed.
“She shops,” he explained, “Pays her credit cards, and buys stuff for the kids.”
“What kind of stuff?” I asked.
“Clothes, shoes, gifts, etc.,” he told us proudly. As if that doesn’t save you a fortune, I thought sarcastically.
I questioned further. “Why don’t you just retire her, so she doesn’t have to work at all?”
“She likes to work,” he added proudly. Not one of us believed that.
“How would your life be without her income?” I asked. It was time to cut to the chase. We all could live without a second income if we HAD to. But we don’t because our quality of life is so much better with both sources of income--just talk to people in households where someone has been permanently laid-off or displaced. They can tell you first hand what a difference losing that second income makes.
“Well,” he said, “I am the breadwinner, as I should be. My salary can provide for the basics. The extras would require her to work.” Finally truth! So much for his Prince Charming image…and his ‘taking care’ of his woman.
In any case, my conversation with him then made me think about the true power of a woman. We have always provided the ‘extras’ that make life much more livable. When we en mass were homemakers (of course, this never applied to African-American women, of which I am one), it was our unpaid services that assured that our world had healthy children, men that were responsible providers (we did this as mothers and as wives), and that art, music, fashion and entertainment survived, among other things. Men might have invented television, become Hollywood moguls, and financed the arts, but you can rest assured that it was because their wives, mothers or sisters were hot on their heels about the importance of doing so.
And, everybody knows that a sure way to move a man out of complacency or inaction is to have a woman that he cares about become unhappy with him. All men (that is if they have any common sense) innately want to please their mothers, their wives, their daughters, their sisters. It makes them feel useful, dominant, and proud—like they’re poised to achieve greatness. (I’ve always felt that this was God’s way of assuring that the sexes didn’t kill each other--He gave man an ego, and made females their greatest admirers.)
But I digress…
The point of this article is this. Take a look at the Forbes list. Study the faces of these women. If you are a woman, you should notice one undeniable fact—they look just like us. No Hollywood hairstyles, no unblemished skin, no designer outfits to kill for—just like any woman you’d meet in a shopping mall or a PTA meeting. I suspect that the only real difference between us and them—is that they decided to become the best at what they do—and they did.
If you’re a man, you should also notice that these women look like your wife, your girlfriend, your mother, your sister, your niece—there are no differences. That tells me that we all are capable of greatness--no matter what age, race, creed or socio-economic status we hold.
And folks, in my humble opinion, that’s the best message anyone has sent the human race in a long time.
