Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Constantin von Barloewen: The difficulty to integrate women into the economic process in the western states has very slowly showed up over centuries. The women ratio in the universities, in schools, during economical processes rose only very much hesitating. Some goals were reached but there are still more. One may not forget that in states of Africa, Asia and Latin America the woman is still located in the family tradition, i.e. is merged old traditions which are decades old, these are often very undemocratic and it is not easy to find a balance here between tradition and modern trend. Women from a family tradition are pulled out and integrated in economical processes are not so many as it would be reasonable economicalally and also moral political. The World Bank provided that those companies are most successful, in the states, the periphery, where the women are integrated responsibly into the professional sector. One can only wish that it is more and more strongly advanced, but it is not easy, I think of India, of the old traditions, for instance the marriage ceremony, the burning of widows. There are many examples of discrimination of women. Finding here a leaving of tradition to modern trend, but it would be desirable.

by Constantin von Barloewen

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Cornel West: Well, the issue of the long long history of the oppression of women in which sisters of all colors have been confined to activities of caring and nurturing optative children and providing for men, as men move out into the workplace. The treacherous dog-eat-dog social Darwinian workplace has created tremendous imbalance; and the answer, of course, is not simply to send women out into that same social Darwinian space that just reinforces the same kind of hierarchy between a public life, survival of the fittest and slickest in a private life of women subordination or redefining of care and nurturing to women professionals as in fact highly affluent women move into the workplace. But the question is how does the largest society become more egalitarian and caring; and there is no doubt that when we talk about public caring and public nurturing, the link, the common interest that women voices, feminist voices become indispensable and that patriarchal voices have so much to learn just as they must be rendered accountable to the ideals of caring and nurturing historically associated with women within patriarchal spaces within domestics spheres. But the balance and harmony that we are calling for must have everything to do with justice, with reciprocity and with mutuality, that we must be highly suspicious of ideals of balance and harmony that have to do with order as opposed to justice. So, when we are talking about women’s voices, we are talking about few women in power. It really is very much an issue of justice.

by Cornel West

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Dedi Baron: Answertext will be available soon.

by Dedi Baron

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Donato Bayu Bay Bumacas: Yes, I think there is really a need for more efforts to maintain balance especially in organizational structure or positions where women are really marginalized and still even if women let's say in an organization -- in a position in the government even if you say women let's take 1:1 ratio of women, women are still in terms of power are marginalized because they are being put in a lower position than being put in a higher position. However, in this continuous changing order, I see also women who are now coming out and becoming the presidents, becoming active in high positions in the organizations, but this -- I would like to share one thing. To attain 1:1 ratio does not mean there is a balance. There is also -- it really depends on who is talking about balance because in our committee -- in our indigenous communities women have their own place, men have their own place which you may not see 1:1 ratio, but still we have balance in our society. So, therefore, the 1:1 ratio is not actually the question of balance. Sometimes, it’s in the culture; sometimes it’s in the state of mind. But I agree really especially in the modern world that women are really marginalized. Still our society are being controlled by men and only few women are in a position. So, there has -- there is really a need to exert more effort to really empower women to be -- and place them in a position where it’s not only having a 1:1 ratio but having women equally in a position where they can also decide. So…

by Donato Bayu Bay Bumacas

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Dritëro Kasapi: Hi, David. Well, you just answered I think. I think it is not imbalance. I’m very curious about and I’m actually sure of what are the qualities, our life would have, and our societies would have with having a gender balance in all levels of life. What are the theories about that, but certainly it’s not imbalance. I don’t want to romanticize in saying that, well, if there was more gender balance, there will be no wars because men are the warlords and the women are the peacemakers. I don’t believe in that kind of simplification, but there are, I think, there are more complicated dynamics that might happen in our societies, which we are not aware of, and I‘m also very, when it comes to this, I am more interested in the micro loan system in Bangladesh, which is targeting only women and how they developed this, their life and how they actually are taking care of that loan and making something out of those loans and the 99% paying back the loans, which was completely opposite of the men, and I think that kind of responsibility, that kind of driving force as far what women bring in that society certainly affects and changes the position of the woman by improving it of course and showing the power it has in developing not only their personal life and family life, but also the whole society by themselves creating possibilities or having more self-sustainable living and so how many other aspects of--[AUDIO ENDS]

by Dritëro Kasapi

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Eliane Potiguara: The word of the indigenious woman is sacred like earth. And if the word of the woman is sacred then it must be heard. The earth is the woman, the earth, the planet is our space. The earth is sacred as well as nature but nature isn't respected. There is no balance. We talk so much about the balance between nature and society, at the United Nations conference in 1992 one spoke about human relations. Today we have consciousness of preserving the environment but I don't see preservation of man and woman. I recognize that the preservation of man is way behind and that of woman even more behind. Women hold a very, very, very low position within society. They stand below the first step degree of society since they are mothers and give birth. I don't know why men don't respect women even if they give birth. Is it possible that men in a sexual relationship when a man possess a woman that he still lives the concept of domination since he has the big phallus and he is the forceful one. In my opinion, the sexual act which is sublime and full of love should be the same for both. In the own sexual relationship the man doesn't treat the woman equally, he dominates her. He still has a feeling of savagery who just takes love instead of sharing it.For the majority of men the sexual relationship is a savage act towards the women. For the majority of women when they make love they do it out of the feeling of love whereas men don't do it that way. This is the root of the differences. On top of that the man oppresses the woman and therefore women have always been in a worse situatuon, always devaluated concerning job matters.

by Eliane Potiguara

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Eliot Weinberger: It can’t.

by Eliot Weinberger

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Elisabet Sahtouris: Thanks David for the question. And it's a fun one to answer as a woman. In a way you have included the answer in your question by saying that feminine values have been so minimized. I often hear men say: “Oh! You women do the most important work on the planet.” But, if you ask a man whether he would trade places with the women raising children at home, very few will do so. There are some stay-at-home dads now, but they are pretty uncommon. And, what that says to me is that it's a bit empty worded when people say women do the most valuable work, because even if it's true they are not valuing it the way they value men’s work. So, if women are not paid equal wages for raising families with men who do the work in a world of employment, then the society as a whole is not putting equal value on women’s work and never will. Even women in the culture are taught not to value themselves the way men are valued. And so it is more difficult to get women to have equal numbers of decision-making roles even in a democracy where voting happens and women can run for office. So until we see equal numbers of men and women in decision-making roles in the world, we are not going to find out how women really would make those decisions when they don’t feel pressure to behave like men. As long as there is a small minority of women in leadership positions there is a certain pressure on them to talk like men, to behave like men, and so we don’t get the full value of what women have to offer. Men and women were created equal, men and women were created to love each other, to work together, we need each other; we have to refuse the ridiculous separation that has been caused by an economy of private property that devalued women, and get back to where we can function as equal partners. Many indigenous societies did it, there are role models, and we in the developed work can do it too. I hope it will be real soon.

by Elisabet Sahtouris

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Ervin Laszlo: Human society is not in balance, and is not in harmony, and one of the reasons for this is that so few women are indeed in positions of power, and their feminine values are minimized in almost all areas. If we are to rebalance society, create harmony, we have to endow women with the power, that to exercise the functions that they can best exercise to bring to the forward new values on the abilities that we need so as to create a balance and harmonious world living together with each other or people, and living in harmony with nature.

by Ervin Laszlo

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Esther Mwaura-Muiru: I think the world has shown us unless people, all sectors of this society participate in defining their own destiny then we are not going to make it. We are not going to achieve what we collectively think. There are very very few people in decision-making powers. And it’s not because women are not able to be in these positions of power. But the inherent reason, why people, why women find their own niche in positions of power. How they use their power is the mannerism that makes them pushed out of this power. Women use their power that they do have for the collective gain of everyone. And so the power that they get is distributed among many. What happens when it is distributed by many? Most people who would want to have it is centralized power, and which unfortunately is the nature of men, who find it possible to throw away the people who would have some de-centralized power. And I think it’s really unfortunate. So, it is true, unless we sincerely bring the largest population of the world into the decision making power, it’s not just women. We must bring poor women because women are there. We are not many, I agree, but poor women, grassroots women are invisible; and they may be making decision. Many people have been saying women are the largest number of votes. Yes, they do vote. But, sometimes they are thrown out of their platform to compete for higher levels because they don’t have combative politics. They don’t do combative competition. They engage in dialogues, and in a world like this where everybody is competing and getting their position at any costs, we have seen a lot of women move and shy away from competing for political positions and for economic positions, for strategic positions in the world. I seriously believe that if half of the world’s rulers and leaders are women, we will see a difference in the way the world goes. I think women would demonstrate that the resources that we have can be distributed across the board among those who have and those ones who have not and we are going to bridge the ineq(uity).

by Esther Mwaura-Muiru

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Fernando Solanas: Well. This is true, but I would say that there are [] in the positions of power for the sexes and there also have to be positions of power for the arrival of the adolescence. And we have to make it possible that all sectors of society can get positions of power. We are living in societies that have millions of marginalized people that are limited concerning their social and basic human rights. It is not a problem of men or women, it is a problem of men, women and the adolescence because each generation brings a different view with it or should bring us a different view of the actual reality because that is what assures a progress. I am not talking about a society that is led only by the adolescence or by women or men. I am for the equality of sexes but we have to search for a balance between ourselves and the adolescence which is our future. A sharing society between men and women and adults and adolescents.

by Fernando Solanas

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Fred Matser: I think that's a question to my heart. As I mentioned before, there is indeed a big imbalance in female representation in the world and the levels where decisions are taken. And as I mentioned before as well, we have to sit together as man and woman to see how we can rebalance, not only representation of man and woman, but also how we can within ourselves rebalance the feminine and male qualities. For male quality stands, in my way of seeing, the physical power and a power of the mental, and for the female qualities stand the power to feel, to be vulnerable and the power of the heart. And in so many men, we see an over-development of the physical power and over-development of the mental power, and by the way also in many women now. And we see, I mean, in many women, we see those mental powers highly developed. And what is not well developed, especially, in the males is the power to feel, the power to be vulnerable, the power to say I don't know, the power to say I made a mistake. There is nothing wrong in being vulnerable or making mistakes. And I would really love to see that we bring back into the arena these qualities, those functional female qualities in man and that we indeed in a woman respect these qualities because there is no life possible without the existence of both qualities. Let's not forget, at birth of our life, the power of vulnerability is present and there is no life possible without this quality of being vulnerable with the quality to feel. We only have to think about music, about other expressions of ours, how they can move us and how important they play a role in our experience.

by Fred Matser

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Galsan Tschinag: That is really the case, David. In the world, women don't really get a look-in. But that is one side of the story. The other side would be that a woman who takes power shouldn’t abuse it like men do. If you look at the predators or birds of prey you can see that females are much more aggressive and quick-witted than males. A whole lot of women make me think of it.

by Galsan Tschinag

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Geert Lovink: I'm very much in favor of old style equal opportunity policies. Time and again we see how even under progressive governments, in liberal societies in fact the position of women are declining, not improving. This is a great worry, for instance, in country that I'm based in, in the Netherlands. It is really about child care and about other forms of organizing work force career planning and this cannot be established as a culture. It needs very, very strict rules set from above; let's say even enforced by police if you like, by the law, because the system itself, the global capitalist system as it functions right now, will not enable women to have more access to resources, to power. So there's very little hope here that empowerment or feminism, the feminist movement alone will do the job and even a man of good will with good intentions cannot achieve very much at this level. So, I would just be quite brutal in that sense and demand equal opportunity on all levels, in particularly board levels, at CEO level, because even in my school I see that at the moment that women start to become ambitious. They become a threat and they’re moved out and they’re also willing…

by Geert Lovink

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Giora Feidman: Well, in the question we have the answer. It’s not balanced in the society because the women, the family women don’t have -- are not involved in the position. They describe in total function the destiny of our planet of humanity. It is not a question to say, “ Okay, the masculine world is responsible,” to point the finger of some society. “They are not allowed; don’t give the woman to go to this position.” They are until today, with all my respect with religions that don’t allow the woman to grow, is something that this kind of system will need, will have the need to come to realization, to the reality that passé, passé that the women are not able to go to the university or to drive the car even. There were countries that would not allow the women to drive a car. And, of course, this will give the natural balance of life. Yin and Yang, call what you want. The women as soon as possible should come to drive us, to make the leaders of human society-- will be very, very healthy for all of us.

by Giora Feidman

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Gladman Chibememe: There is need to have a paradigm shifting the way we look at the world. There is need to embrace the issue of holism and there is also a need to embrace their right to – the concept of their right to be different. The effect of that women does not mean that they are inferior, it means that they can all – they are only different from men. But, being different from something or some people, does not mean that you are inferior. In this case, the balance of power can be meaningfully addressed if we make sure that women are put in places of decision making. They are part of the planning, the policy planning and decision making processes at all level, national and international level. We also need to move away from this patriarchal and exclusionary approach, where people think that the only reality is the patriarchal way of looking at things and trying to differentiate between the superior and the inferior, the feminine and the masculine. I think we are all the same. When god created the people, he created them the same as equal people, we have got equal rights. So, we need to respect each other, give each other an important role to play and opportunity to play in development, in leadership. We have got very popular and very important female leaders. We have distinguished themselves in various areas, for example, in my country, Zimbabwe, we have got [Umbia Uanda] is one of the icons for liberation of the Zimbabwe. So, we have such people, like women we’ve been so pivotal in the development, in the liberation of my people, then why not having them in the decision making, they are just as good as men. So, the bottom line is that there need to be a paradigm ship for upholding particular and exclusion of values and systems into and of course, where we have got diversity we [audio ends]

by Gladman Chibememe

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Govindaswamy Hariramamurthi: It is possible to work at it. The balance or harmony is something that we can see happening now, it has begun. If the society does not provide a balance and opportunity to more women, women will demand it and acquire it. We can’t keep on denying forever. If it doesn’t happen today, I am sure it can happen tomorrow. It has to, and it will get balanced. They are becoming more aware of their abilities. They acquire their abilities, and they acquire their strengths in a moment of mutually benefiting relationship. Power and values will be optimized, I believe, in the years to come. It is not possible to keep them in the way they are. It is beginning to happen. It will happen. I feel that these values are getting accepted.

by Govindaswamy Hariramamurthi

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Hans-Peter Dürr: I would rather prefer to see women not in positions of power. Power is a patriarchal element, but the increasing importance of female values is something, which should be stressed. Female values mainly lie in the recognition of the primary importance of personal advantages, which are connected to advantages of others, playing a game with a positive result. Everyone profits from a development instead of the creation of imbalances by the selection of certain features, which lead to a reduction of flexibility and diversity. Life is an increase of plurality, but not a plurality, which is separated but one which is able to cooperate in a way which leads to a new form of integration where the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Only this cooperative integration of different things can lead to a higher level of development, not the aggressive clash of differences, which will finally lead to winners and losers. The integration of all new qualities into a common concept would be a real victory. This doesn't rule out that some things will have no future because they appear not integrable in this cooperation. But this has to become clear and it will become clear. Everything, which is not supportive of cooperation is going to have no chance for survival in the future. Therefore we need the female element. It is a very essential basis for life not only to invent new things, not only to be creative and not only to open up new possibilities but to integrate them into society in a constructive way.

by Hans-Peter Dürr

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Harry Wu: The person who presented this question wants to emphasize that famales should attain the status due to them in the society, which is supposed to be so. But females have their own features, because they play a particular role in the society, history and culture, which differs from others. This point should be clear, thereby it is worth discussing how feminine values should be maximized or minimized.

by Harry Wu