In the golden age of comic books, Wonder Woman was my idol. She was a feminist before the term was even invented. I worshiped her beauty, strength and resilience. And somewhere, a seed was planted in my mind that Amazons like Wonder Woman should rule the world. But as I grew into adulthood, that idea was replaced by the realities of early 20th century attitudes. Women were seen as the weaker sex, and somehow inferior. The higher paying occupations were dominated by men. Most of my female colleagues became teachers and nurses after graduating from college. Women have come a long way from that mentality.
Psychologists have noted numerous ways that men and women are different. Men are risk takers, and apt to over estimate their ability. Women are sensitive and more empathetic. Perhaps the most important difference is that men thrive on conflict, while women tend to avoid it. These are generalities, of course. We all know people of both sexes who don’t fit the stereotype. But sometimes, I think mankind would be better off if women did rule the world. There would surely be fewer wars, more kindness, and common sense. Women have always kept men’s grandiose ideas and plans in check.
The midterm election gave me a lot of hope because more women ran for office, and won, than ever before in our history. We now have 100 women in Congress!
But do we want to go back to the time when one gender ruled our country? My thought is that if we want our governing bodies to represent the entire United States, we should have a 50/50 ratio of men and women in both the House and the Senate. That might be just as important as a balance between Democrats and Republicans.
Don’t worry, guys. Women are never going to rule the world. But it wouldn’t be so bad if they did.
