Is this even possible? How can women run a society? Do they have enough strength and capability to lead in all the areas? These questions may arise when you read the title of the article. But, let’s think for a moment how the world and societies will look like if they are led by women. Most of the households are run by women. Most of the decisions in the house are made by women. So, there is no doubt that women are excellent in making decisions not just for herself but for others too. Women have the natural ability to think and decide with empathy and mindfulness that their male counterparts do not possess. Men have the natural tendency of proving themselves the ace in the cards so their decision making is based on what is good for them while women’s decision making is based on what is good for everyone.
There have been so many examples of women leaders who have shown their incredible sense of making tough decisions for the betterment of society. First female president of liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is one of the many examples when the society was brought to balance from chaos caused by few men. She says, if you really want to see society grow into a peaceful world, you have to up bring women in every area of life. According to the statistics (Sept 2021), only 26 women are serving as the heads of any state or government in 26 countries. Only 21% of government ministers are women. With this rate, it will take 130 years to achieve gender equality. These numbers have to change. Our society believes that men are superior so they should be given priorities in everything. Most of the women believe that men are better so just follow them. Rest of the women are aware of their capabilities of leadership but they don’t want to hurt the male ego of their partner so they just go with the flow and end up being in the same spot as the follower of men. But the truth is most or if not all the studies done regarding the leadership capabilities of the genders, women have always outscored men. It shows the traits that people think that will make good leaders aren’t the traits of a good leader. And the proof of this can be seen in many matriarchal societies in today’s world.
Let’s take some examples of the matriarchy society that exists in today’s world. Bribri (Costa Rica), Umoja (Kenya), Minangkabau (Indonesia), Mosuo (China), Akan (Ghana), Khasi (India) are few from many successful societies where women are at the centre. Even Thailand is up to some extent matriarchal as women inherit the lands here. If you study about how these societies are structured and managed, you will see the difference between how women govern the people around them. In these societies, children live with their mothers and elderly females rule the households. Lands and family names are passed from the mothers to their daughters. The governing structure is also very community focused and circular, other than hierarchical structures the patriarchy loves to have. These societies and their governance can be found much more practical and successful compared to many parts of the world. The surprisingly low rates of crime, non-existence of environmental pollution and higher indexes of human happiness and the human development index than most of the “developed cities” back these statements.
There is no denying the fact that men are physically stronger and that makes them perfect for doing the work that requires strength. But, all the research done by many organizations shows that the women are far better in managerial roles compared to men. So, to create better societies, women should come out and lead while men should understand the strength within women and follow them consciously.
According to a research done by Harvard Business school, women scored more than men in most leadership skills like taking initiatives, resilience, practice self-development, drive for results, high integrity, honesty, develop others, inspire others, bold leaderships, build relationships, establish stretch goals, collaboration, teamwork, connecting with outside world, problem-solving, analyzing issues, leadership speed, and innovation. Now, this will again challenge the traditional thinking of men as better leaders.
So, what does society look like when actually women are in leadership roles. Women do not lead to prove themselves best but they lead to take the best out of everyone so obviously the quality standards of everyone will arise. Majority of crime rates are related to women abuse. This can be solved as women will be able to make more laws that will protect themselves from oppression. Hence, female leadership should reduce the social issues and crime rate. So what will be left for men in such a society? All men are not natural leaders so the societal pressure of “being a man of the house” will reduce from their shoulders. This should reduce the suicidal rates. As men will understand their roles in the society and support women leadership inside and outside the households, stress levels should also come down. And, most importantly, women will have reproductive rights. Something that made a huge social discussion recently, and it's a topic for another day. So, with all the statistical and practical examples set by the existing matriarchal communities it is safe to say that if a society is run by women or with matriarchal principles it will greatly benefit everyone in it as it will increase the livelihood of the society. If you are a man, learn how to live with empowered women and try supporting women's leadership. If you are a woman, build up the confidence within you and take charge of your life and take charge of the society you live in.