Brookhaven Courier

Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: Opinion

It is my opinion that women are stronger than men. The strongest-willed people in my life have usually been women. From my mother to my grandmother and to most of my teachers - women have dominated my life. It doesn't make sense to me that women don't make up a majority of our leaders.

Every March since 1987, women's history is celebrated by the nation. Honestly, I never knew March was Women's History Month.

I've seen some interesting things in the news lately about women in politics, and it made me want to write about the lack of women in high political positions.

My editor informed me that March was Women's History Month, and my article would be perfect for it.

Imagine how dumb I felt when I had to tell her I had no idea what she was talking about.

I consider myself basically half-a-woman, and definitely grew up a mama's boy. I've lived most of my life with my mom, and can't remember one instance of her telling me about the significance of March.

I just don't understand how it has passed me by. I like to think I'm pretty observant, but obviously not. I just think it's sad that in our society women have been looked at as second-tier humans. And why? Because men have held the power from the start.

Almost all our major religions and governments were started by men who kept women out of the loop and treated them as if they had no choice in the happenings of the world.

Hell, the only reason women got the right to vote was because the bill was an add-on to a completely different bill.

I just don't see any difference between the leadership abilities of men and women, at least not enough for women to be treated like they have. I guess I can take comfort in the fact that Americans seem to be getting their act together. Like most things in the country, it has been a slow process but at least we are starting to come around.

Since the new year, we've seen the first woman elected Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton announced she will run for president in 2008 and now Harvard has named its first woman president, Drew Gilpin Faust.

I'm not trying to say all is right in the world now that Harvard has a female president, but this is coming from a guy who didn't know there was such a thing as Women's History Month.

I promise I'll catch up at some point.

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