Why We Need To Take Women Seriously

Earlier today I was filling up my car with gas and a short news station clip came on the screen at the pump. The news anchor was female, blonde, and…well, ‘gifted’ in the upper torso region.

I couldn’t help but immediately wonder if her position was to truly deliver short bursts of news to those of us only spending a couple of minutes at the pump, or if she was strategically placed to get our attention so that we would actually listen to the news, instead of ignoring the random talking newscaster.

My next thought was…do people take this woman seriously? I would hope it was her talent that got her to where she is.

Women’s rights are a constant, ongoing issue in the United States, and beyond. In the US, women have only been allowed to vote since 1920. In Britain, make that 1928.

But beyond that, it’s 2013 and women still don’t get paid the same wages for doing the same job a man does in the American corporate world. Why? They are certainly no less capable of being equally as successful.

In Saudi Arabia, it is still illegal for women to drive.

It takes nearly zero effort to see women degraded in the media. Public figures like Miley Cyrus and Kim Kardashian are who we’re dealing with as “role models” for the young women of upcoming generations, and it’s only getting worse.

Past being a role model, these women blatantly steal the spotlight away from amazing women who are changing the world. Women make up approximately 50% of the planet’s population.

How are we supposed to truly advance as a race if all of that talent is being oppressed?

Women see things differently than men. They bring unique ideas, thought processes, creativity and intuitions to all types of situations that we just aren’t wired to think of as easily.

Women add a different dimension, a different intelligence, a different type of leadership to an organization or group. They have maternal senses that men don’t have which are imperative to putting plans in place that help others in need. They can devise well-reasoned, non-violent solutions to problems. They can lead us, and also collaborate with us.

Women are a valuable resource in all aspects of life, and I just don’t think that they are being fully utilized. The idea that women are inferior to men is incredibly archaic, offensive, and unsubstantiated.

There is no need for a ‘battle of the sexes.’ There is no need for men to try to reinforce the glass ceiling in corporations or for women to develop an anti-man attitude. Progression and relationships (personal and professional) aren’t a competition, they’re the result of a well-adjusted team with common goals in mind.

The team wins the game.

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