The progress and empowerment of women and attaining their rightful status is fundamental to the future well-being of the earth and its people. The emancipation of women is not only necessary for the future well-being of humanity; it is also a requirement of justice, and it is a prerequisite to world peace.
The Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bahá’í International Community states that: “The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged pre-requisites of peace. … Only as women are welcomed into full partnership {with men} in all fields of human endeavour will the moral and psychological climate be created in which international peace can emerge”.
There are no acceptable grounds, biological, social or moral, to justify denying women equality with men; and it is obvious that denial of such equality is injustice against one half of the world’s population.
The well-being of mankind depends on the development of the potential virtues and abilities of every individual, regardless of gender, race, nationality, class or religion. Gender equality, in the Bahá’í view, is an essential aspect of a broader principle: the oneness of humanity. In the context of the oneness of humanity, equality of men and women is not only a requirement of justice but it is a pre-requisite for peace and prosperity. “Fundamental to the Bahá’í world-view is the concept of the oneness and wholeness of the human race, of which the equality of men and women is a vital and clearly stated spiritual and social principle, conducive to personal integration and social cohesion”.
The shift required in the values and attitudes in order to give equal rights and opportunities to women involves profound changes in the minds and hearts of people and in the structures of society. It begins with the understanding that the equality of women and men is not only a desired condition for the common good: it is a dimension of human reality.
As the governing council of the Bahá’í International Community states: “… the equality of men and women is …a universal spiritual truth about an aspect of the nature of human beings … It is, above all, a requirement of justice. This principle is consonant with the highest rectitude of conduct, its application strengthens family life, and it is essential to the regeneration and progress of any nation, the peace of the world, and the advancement of civilization”.
The transition required for bringing about gender equality is an evolutionary process requiring education and patience with oneself and others, as well as an unshakable determination.
For feedback please contact: tshwane@bahai.org.za; or call 083 794 0819
Websites: www.bahai.org, www.bahai.org.za
