A Bahá'í Perspective on Women's Month: Building balanced and harmonious societies

National Women’s Day on 9 August is an opportune time to reflect on how to create a culture in which all members of society – whether women or men – can advance together to build better societies. 

Observing the human rights of both men and women, and according them equal opportunities, will bring about a more balanced world, one in which the more masculine qualities of physical strength and courage will be balanced by intuition, love and service: qualities in which women are strong.  

The Bahá’í Writings state, "The happiness of mankind will be realized when women and men coordinate and advance equally, for each is the complement and helpmeet of the other”, and that “The world of humanity is possessed of two wings: the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be realized; humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real attainment”.

The equality of men and women does not imply sameness or identity of function, but there is no superiority associated with functional differences. The Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith, states that “Equality between men and women does not – indeed physiologically it cannot – mean identity of function. In some things women excel men, in others men are better than women, while in very many things the difference in sex is of no effect at all”.  

Transformation

The empowerment of women and their equality with men is essential for transformation of our communities, and building of a harmonious and peaceful global society. The denial of such equality is injustice against one half of the world's population. “There are no grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such denial can be justified. Only as women are welcomed into full partnership in all fields of human endeavour will the moral and psychological climate be created in which international peace can emerge”, states the Universal House of Justice.

Responsibility for the change that will bring about gender equality rests both with men and women. In order to achieve this, there must be a shift in the values, outlook, and conduct of both women and men.  

Women must become educated, and step forward into all arenas of human activity, contributing their particular qualities, skills and experience to the social, economic, and political equations.  

Men must use their influence, particularly in the civil, political, and religious institutions they control, to promote the systematic inclusion of women.  

True equality is not easily attained. It requires education and patience, with oneself and others, an unshakable determination, as well as the upholding of moral and spiritual principles, which facilitate the shift in values and attitudes, required to achieve gender equality. Women and men together can create balanced, harmonious, and peaceful societies in which to nurture generations to come.  

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