Chinese proverb on women's equality not borne out in modern society

The exiled Dalai Lama said in 2009: "The world will be saved by the Western women."

KEY POINTS:

• According to a Chinese proverb, "women hold up half the sky".Northern Advocate features editor Lindy Laird asks why women are not represented in greater numbers in areas like key management roles.

An old Chinese proverb given a rebirth by revolutionary communist leader Mao Zedong says: "Women hold up half the sky".

Mao was no slouch when it came to giving women equal opportunity: To work like slaves for the state, to be dispossessed, repressed, re-educated, etc.

But in communist China, back then and in its hybrid communo-capitalistic present, indeed in much of the world today, it's a glass sky women are helping to hold up.

In a different context entirely, and yes, I do take a liberty in connecting the two nations, especially considering China's role in annexing, enslaving, dispossessing and repressing its gentle Buddhist neighbour Tibet, the exiled Dalai Lama said in 2009: "The world will be saved by the Western women."

Possibly, he meant Western women (let's generalise) were educated and political, had equal opportunity, could afford to be concerned about the human and environmental future of Earth, thought holistically, were destined to be the most influential sector in the world and would be in a position to change the balance of male-dominated power.

Naturally, His Holiness's statement was widely taken as acknowledgement of women's increasing and future global empowerment.

But the question could still be asked which world would be saved by those women?

The world of Islam? The Eastern world? The developing world? The planet Earth itself?

Is there or will there ever be a concept of ''one'' world?

So there women are, super-busy juggling domestic and professional life, child rearing, looking after their old parents, holding up half the sky, saving the world and yet in many Western, as well as developing countries, they are also still struggling for equal opportunity, equal political influence and wage parity.

Even those with so-called parity may live in societies where gender works against them or where, because of their gender, they are vulnerable, therefore, not equal.

Look around in Northland. It is not women who fill the police cells, courts and prisons because of crime such as family violence.

There is only one female civic leader among four local authorities and none in those chief executive positions. There is no woman leading the region's employer with the biggest piece of the government pie, the Northland District Health Board. There is not a woman leading the Northland Police or the regional Department of Conservation or the tertiary institution, NorthTec or the Chamber of Commerce or economic development agency, Northland Inc or local media.

Yet women hold up half the sky and Western women will save the world.

The 2017 theme for International Women's Day on March 8 is Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50:5 by 2030.

It will ask governments to make national commitments to close gender equality gaps, and strengthen existing commitments regarding women's human rights.

In New Zealand, though, the day's focus for 2017 is: "Violence against Women: An Equality and Human Rights Violation".

The fact is that until violence against women and girls is eradicated in our communities, they cannot be free to achieve lives of equality and human dignity.

There are many ways to help bring about that change.

Of course, we all applaud, support and thank coalface organisations like Women's Refuge, Rape Crisis and others who deal with the tragedy and home-breaking of violence.

We also need to applaud, support and thank groups working in other ways to improve the lives and education of women in their community, like the local Zonta clubs, Hatea and Whangarei.

The clubs' combined annual Great New Zealand Book Sale has funded programmes to assist local women to the tune of over $250,000 since 1994.

The Zonta Club of Hatea marked International Women's Day at a breakfast function with guest speaker Dr Lauren Roche this morning (March 4).