Kevin Hart, being the comedian that he is, once said: “If women ruled the world, there would be no wars. There would just be a bunch of jealous countries not talking to each other.” We will overlook the stereotype for the sake of humor and because the first part of the sentence is actually not far off from the truth. Women are more compassionate; it’s only natural that there wouldn’t be talk about a pending World War III because feminine empathy would end all wars. But let’s put aside war for a second. What would the world be like if women ruled it? Yes, men don’t actually lead the world. Yet, the majority of those in positions of authority are men. Most of the world’s past rulers, kings and sultans, both great and grim, were all male. Women simply didn’t get a chance to rule as much as men did. The majority of the workforce consists of men and in most of the cases, they are the sole breadwinners of households which indirectly makes them rule the family. So, what if it was the other way around?
These types of questions are hard to answer. It’s hard to pinpoint all the differences that would be apparent in the world if men and women switched positions. It’s actually a question in and of itself because it raises more questions than it leads to answers.
- If men were women and women were men, would the only difference be cosmetic?
- Would men only be filling women’s shoes and vice versa without actual change in the dynamic between the two genders occurring?
- Would women be the dicks and would gender imbalance still be prevalent?
- Would we be constantly hearing about men’s issues?
- Would there be such a movement called “Maleism” because men all around the world feel undermined, disrespected and violated by women?
- Would the men working in the film industry have to define themselves as “Male Directors”?
- Would male writers be asked in interviews: “What’s it like being a man in your industry?” because it’s a job that’s usually occupied by women?
Social stigmas affect men as well as women, but there’s no denying that in our real world, women got the shorter end of the stick. Aside from the social stigmas faced by women, the question also raises more questions that address the social and cultural disgrace associated with the male gender. For example, would fathers finally be proud if their sons worked as “male nurses?” In this imaginary world where women are men, is a woman “the one” and man “the other”? Would boys be dressing as girls to seem more powerful or would they still find it offensive to wear skirts or dresses? Would women refuse to wear pants because it’s offensive to their gender? Or would women still dress as men to shake off the meaning of power altogether and establish equality? Would women urinate in public and sexually harass the men they feel like harassing? Would men be expected to shave their legs? The list of questions is vastly endless but unfortunately, we will never know. In this fantasy, would the world be a grim place for men? Would they be scared to walk down a dark and empty alleyway alone? Somehow, it seems really and profusely unlikely.
However, in a woman-dominated world, one could expect that the controversial obsession with the bikini wax to wane. Women won’t be expected to trim and shave every part of their body to be perceived as attractive and sexy because men won’t be deciding for them what is sexy and what isn’t. Women, like men, also have their personal issues that will hold them back and consequently let the world suffer, but in this imaginary world, the world isn’t suffering because it turned into a war zone.
It is safe to conclude that in a world where women lead, gender inequality would still be an issue and men would still be fighting for at least some of the rights women are fighting for. In ancient times, women were seen unfit to be leaders, because their intellectual capacity was perceived as limited and women themselves were seen as “emotional” beings unable to make unbiased and logical decisions (especially during that time of the month “when their hormones are acting up”). Logic itself doesn’t even know how to justify that with a dignified answer. The ability to prioritize emotions, emotional fortitude, sound decision making skills (this might surprise some men but women do possess this ability) and compassion only add up to the reasons why women are fit to lead, just like men. In a world led by women, there would be less chaos, we would not be bombarded with news of sexual assault, bombings, death, hatred and war on a daily basis.