In my video presentation ( which I can provide on request) I described the imbalance between the active - or masculine, and receptive - or feminine, forces present in the universe and all human beings, and the negative impact of this imbalance in the world. Today, several months into the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, I propose a reflection on how this imbalance is playing out in gender equality and respect for all.
To begin with, some human resources practices drew my attention: I read in various sources about the firing of health care workers for protesting the lack of protective equipment, and was shocked. Why would dedicated professionals have to lose their job for demanding essential safety measures? That is an example of how the destructive aspects of the active, or masculine, forces manifest; in this case, it affects more particularly women who represent close to 70% of the Global Healthcare Workforce (Source: Mathieu Boniol, Michelle McIsaac, Lihui Xu, Tana Wuliji, Khassoum Diallo, and Jim Campbell, Gender Equity in the Health Workforce: Analysis of 104 Countries (World Health Organization, 2019).
Next, let us examine how the confinement, as families are spending 24/7 together, sometimes in very small apartments, caused domestic violence to increase worldwide, from China to Spain, Italy, France, the UK, etc.; in addition, due to the proximity of the perpetrator, the victims find it more difficult to make a call for help. Violence on children has also increased at home; furthermore, in developing countries, job losses of the parents generate more child labor and child marriages (young girls to older men).
The confinement also brought to light unresolved issues about the division of domestic chores and child care, as either mum or dad, or both, are carrying on professional duties from home. In spite of much progress, women still bear most of the responsibility, which creates a double, and now triple day’s work: house work, professional work and home schooling. As evidenced by a survey of 1,060 parents in different-sex couples conducted by the Council of Contemporary Families (Source: Boston Globe, May 21, 2020) Men are taking on (slightly) more household chores amid the coronavirus pandemic, by Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff), nurturing and educating children is (still) viewed primarily as a woman’s role.
Much remains to be done to reach a more egalitarian share of responsibilities for everyone’s benefit in the family; there is no doubt that men can also be very nurturing with children and understand cooperation, a positive aspect of the receptive, or feminine force, present in all people, regardless of their biological sex or sexual identity. While we are taught from an early age to be competitive, cooperation is known to produce more creativity than competition. Now is a time for cooperation at all levels, not only in the home, but also nationally and internationally, because COVID-19 is very egalitarian and knows no frontiers, it hits anyone in all corners of the globe, “We are all in this together”.
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