In my anthropology textbook, there's a chapter on gender and sex. It in, there was a little subsection titled "Subordinate Everywhere?" and it discusses the fact that, contrary to urban legens about Amazons, there has not been a single documented group of people in which women were the primary holders of political, social, and economic power.
I just.don't.get.it. I can hardly cope with the notion that, the world over, women are just powerless. I can't leave it at that. I am not emotinally and mentally capable of just accepting the reality of women's subordination. I have to believe that there is more to it. Women must have power. We must have just as power much as men, it must just be that we can't see it. Something about men must make it so that they are more public about their power, that they are explicit about their definition of power, so that we come to think it is the only kind of power. But they can't be right.
What would equality between men and woman look like? Why have men defined the way that we look at gender relationships? Do women have power in ways that men do not? Are we losing out when we approach gender equity by trying to secure the same rights as men, rather than using our unique kinds of power to gain control over our lives? Someone help me. Give me hope.
Have you read Feminist Theory, from Margin to Centre, by Bell Hooks? It has a chapter in it about kinds of power and the questions you are asking. I'm sure I would butcher it if I tried to explain it myself.
Males have been the history writers after all, so no surprises there.
Also the is a difference in the male & female definitions of power.
Male power often means "power over" (control, demeaning others, hierachy) Female power is associated with personal strength (pride, empowerment) as opposed to power when compared to someone put in a lesser position.
Popular definitions of power seemed to be more linked to the ability to oppress.
Sorry nursing a hangover so not bloody eloquent.
Why is there no emoticon for 'hungover'..
There are also many examples of Equality within native tribes all over the world (the Celts, Native American's, African, etc.).
For example
It was fairly common in Western Africa, before Ghana and other empires were made, to have tribes that had kings/male leaders, but they only "owned" the land, while the women "owned" the crops grown on the land - thus they were dependent on each other. There were also tribes, and again this is in West Africa, who were matriarical (lead by women).
http://www.jolofempire.com/JolofGenealogy.html
Here's a book on it: Re-Inventing Africa : Matriarchy, Religion, and Culture
by Ifi Amadiume
And, I would highly recommend bell hooks as well.
Equality is an ideal. I don't think it could ever truly exist, because there is always someone trying to be better or more powerful than someone else.
Here is the emoticon for hung over: :oops: :P :( :x