It was formally announced that a woman is among the candidates for President of Mexico and everyone is talking about it… I say, “What’s new?”
Women in the Latino world have been running the show for a long, long time. From my perspective as a Latino man, I have come to realize that it is women who have the greatest influence on children in the home and the ones who do most of the work and serve as leaders in many aspects of our communities; including our churches.
Besides, the "machismo" which is so prevalent in our Latino culture has only brought us pain and dysfunction.
If you think about it, machismo is no different than any other form of discrimination or bigotry, because it insists on a type of "superiority of gender" which is false.
True: Men and women are different. But, it is precisely for this reason that women cannot continue to be excluded from positions of authority in every aspect of society. Women posses a special intuition and gifts that most men do not have or never learn to develop. We need those special qualities in our governments, churches and in all spheres of today’s world.
As I look at my little daughters eyes, I often think to myself: Isn’t it great that you will grow in a world where you will not be looked at simply because you are a girl or woman, but because of the qualifications you may be able to bring to your chosen job and vocation? We are getting there…and that can only be good for all of us!
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