Asghar Ali Engineer
(Secular Perspective June 1-15, 2011)
Can women play better role for peace? Many feminists think women are much better suited for peace than men. If so why? What are those factors which make women play better role for peace. Does she not have same weaknesses as man? Has she proved better ruler than man? What do we find in history? We will try to answer some of these questions in this article.
If a woman is better suited for peace what are the primary factors which make her play peace better than man. Ours is a patriarchal society and we all know how women are dominated in a patriarchal society. In most of the cases she internalizes this oppression and accepts it as her fate. She reconciles to playing a role of house maker and serves her husband and children after marriage. And in modern society she is even content playing double role i.e. as an earner as well as house maker. Some men who are against women working outside home never tire of pointing out that women have to bear double burden.
Anyway these are problems of a patriarchal society and women all over the world suffer from patriarchal cultural values, even in advanced democratic societies of western countries despite gender parity laws made in western countries. Thus women are oppressed and oppressed know the value of peace better than the oppressors. This is one important reason why women can prove to be better peace-makers.
We will throw more light on that aspect later. But more primary factor is woman as mother i.e. one who gives birth to life, nurtures and sustains it. As a mother her role is bringing life into existence is most fundamental. She conceives the baby, nurtures it in her womb for nine months and then bears it at the risk of her own life and after giving birth she has again to nurture it for several months, even years.
Thus who knows value of life more than a mother? Man, always arrogant about power often behaves as an ego-centric agent and does not hesitate to take life to fulfill his power-centric ambitions. A life which comes into existence after months of labour and pain, can be wiped out in less than a second with disastrous weapons made through modern technology. Not one but lakhs of human beings can be killed by simply pressing a button.
A woman who bears, nurtures and sustains life would hesitate to promote conflict which may result in such mass murder in far off places just by press of a button. Moreover, in a patriarchal society woman does not share power too and her behaviour is much less power centric than that of man. Also, as man does not have to bear pains of carrying baby, delivering and nurturing it he lacks compassion for life which a woman is gifted with. It is a natural quality which woman needs to sustain life.
Love and compassion are needed in abundance for life to flourish. It is hatred which destroys life and love that makes life richer and worth living for. And hatred is borne more often as a result of struggle for power. Power becomes a burning ambition and human life can be sacrificed at its altar. Man kills ruthlessly, women very hesitantly. Her orientation to life is very different and this difference is gendered one.
Even if a woman is involved in power struggle, except for very few exceptions, she would not kill as man does. She, by nature is more compassionate. In extremes of persecution she does become revengeful but only in extremes. It is her psyche. Also she is more patient than man. Her patience, in fact, is far more enduring as well as her tolerance. These are sterling qualities nature has gifted her for her motherhood.
Except in certain cases she is much less in crime. She does not have much presence in armed forces. It is true in these days of gender parity many women are seeking entry into armed forces, not only in non-combative but combative services. But it is more for gender parity than her feminine qualities. In fact it goes against her primordial nature. Here it must be borne in mind that gender parity too has its limits. Gender, as we all know, is a social construct whereas natural qualities are with ones birth.
I don’t say that women should not take part in combat situations; she should but only for defense situations as by nature she has been programmed for love and compassion. Man should learn from her rather than woman, in order to pursue gender parity should trudge his path of aggression and ruthlessness. It is very delicate matter. Some feminists may argue why woman should not be as combative as men yes logically this argument is quite sound. If she is equal to man in all respects, why not in matters of combat. She should also participate equally ruthlessly and aggressively in combat roles.
But there is difference in logical arguments and natural gifts or the way she has been gifted with for her motherhood which requires life affirmative and life promoting gifts. I am also aware of the fact that upholders of patriarchal values are likely to misuse this argument in favour of denying equality to women. But we have to face dilemma of one kind or the other. I believe this is not going to go too far.
Ultimately what we need is life affirmative values. Patriarchy has not only deprived us of life affirmative values but has brought great disasters for humanity. In hundreds and thousands of battles and wars fought millions of lives have been lost and all that for patriarchal assertion, power struggles, domination of one patriarchal group over the other. Had matriarchal values prevailed world would have been very different.
It is also important to note that matriarchy changes entire perspective on life. Everywhere and in all fields it is life promoting perspective which matters and peace is one among them. When war or any kind of conflict is going on it is not only human lives which are at stake but also destruction of life facilitating factors. As now it is not only gross product which matters in capitalism but the very quality of life which prioritizes health services and all other facilities which are needed to make life more worth living which matter.
Similarly it is feminine concerns for making life richer in every possible manner which makes life worth its price. A feminine perspective should not be equated merely with domestic chores. A feminine perspective on life is basically concerned with richer and fuller life and that is possible only when peace prevails and for peace to prevail we need not patriarchal but matriarchal perspective on life which is life affirmative.
The peace pacts drawn up by men are more often of temporary nature as both sides want breathing period for preparing for ‘winning war’. However, for women next war would not be a priority but a permanent peace which is life enriching. Generally peace treaties drawn up by UNO have predominant role by men as most of the top officers are men have very restrictive clauses and slightly violation leads to fresh breakout of wars.
In these treaties consideration is not life enriching possibilities but vaguely defined ‘patriotism’ which is all about possession of land rather than potentialities of peace. Peace goes much beyond possession of land and is more concerned with people and their lives. Women’s very instinct is life affirming and hence women drawing up peace treaty would insert such clauses which would minimize chances of fresh outbreak of violence as violence is life negative.
Women for permanent peace, for example, would insert clauses which would make treaty more inclusive of other ethnic and identity groups, especially belonging to minorities and weaker sections transcending political ideologies and religious persuasions to save peace. Peace cannot prevail unless divisive clauses are minimized and inclusive clauses are given greater space in these treaties.
In most of the peace treaties drawn up by men land has priority, even land where even single blade of grass does not grow or be it mere desert. A lasting peace is not possible if one has obsession with land and no concern with human lives at all. People keep on dying for the sake of a piece of land. Land-oriented patriotism is part of our emotionally charged language too. In this orientation even mothers are honoured only for producing sons to defend land. Women are valued only for producing sons to sacrifice their lives for the sake of land.
This is not women’s perspective for peace. Peace needs consolidation of life, not sacrificing it for saving piece of land. This was feudal patriarchal orientation. For peace we need patience, tolerance, democratic and inclusive perspective so that people of all ethnic, linguistic and racial groups are included. Only women are capable of bringing such perspective for peace as women care more for life. Life is beginning and end of their perspective.
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Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
Mumbai.
