Gender awareness

There is hardly a topic more complicated than genders. If you are writing, for instance, you can't forget to mention both genders (his/him/her) or you will be criticized. Spanish, Portuguese and other similar languages will have to change its grammar including at some point an alternative plural as in those languages when you have men and women together, the plural is in its male form.

The reality cannot be denied as literally for thousands of years, one gender has pushed the other into oppression. It seems that for the last few years, things are changing quickly and dramatically.

However, I observe three main types of change happening in the world, and how they are being received by the society.

1. The first change is that which allows the society to adapt itself to the reality. It is not only gender then, it is more than that: abortion, right to drive in some countries and vote in others, right to be a person different than the spouse and so on. It is a kind of a huge political statement happening in the world today. And the reaction is HUGE: protests, use of force in different ways, refusal, splitting countries...
2. The second change is more related to the micro-world of families and offices. Women are taking over, there is no doubt about that. More and more, males have been losing their spaces in the reality of day-to-day life, which has had a big effect in the geopolitical organization - just think that two of the most powerful people today are women (Merkel and Dilma). Resistance has been futile, as what matters today is the depth and the understanding of the situations around. If you take the example of Merkel in Europe, her possible counterpart, the ruler of France or UK, has been almost non-existent.
3. The third change is very different. It is the rise of the soft power, where power is not understood as possession or wealth, but as an energy that allows things to happen. With the ascension of women, little by little negotiations are changing its shape. At last, Europe was not able to push Greece out, instead there was a kind of forgiveness which is the main feature of this type of change. Instead of resistance, it encourages participation and dialogue. Instead of resistance, this change can be assimilated by the other gender very easily; for the first time in History, women and men can be equal without forcing the other to be equal to them...

If you really want to keep the pace with the changes, instead of fighting against it, my suggestion is, no matter your gender, to focus yourself into those competencies that are important in leadership like negotiation, and those important in general life like forgiveness. These will help you to allow all that shining energy you have inside without much resistance; on the contrary, society will benefit enormously from that.

Take care!