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Does society favor men? I believe so. To what degree depends on the society' we're speaking of: Eastern society, Western society, or society in general.

A friend of my mother's has just returned from China, where she and her husband adopted a baby girl. This baby was left on the steps of an orphanage in Beijing naked, with bruises on her face and a deep bloody gash running up the back of her left leg. Not three months old and already a veteran of life's injustices. Her story is not unique. This particular orphanage is full of girls, many of whom were abandoned in much the same manner, if not worse.

Abandonment, abuse, and infanticide of female children are not new in China. To have a son is a blessing; to have a daughter is an embarrassment. And even though China is slowly realizing the value of its female population due to a critical shortage of women, the changing of old patterns and belief systems is a painfully slow process. (I am not picking on China here. There are many other countries, as well, where the treatment of females is abysmal. This is all changing, of course, but change takes time.)

Here, in the West, women have indeed come a long way over the past several decades. We have equal opportunity and women's rights. Women vote. Women have careers. Women direct movies, run for office, run huge corporations. I am still waiting to see a female American President or Canadian Prime Minister, however. And, again, old habits and mindsets die hard. To illustrate, another story comes to mind:

My friend's daughter Tia has just finished her third year of university. For a summer job, she decided to start her own house-painting business. (Tia's been painting since she was twelve and helped out with the family cottage. Now she's an expert, strong as a horse, and fearless of heights.) She set everything up, put an ad in the paper, and started getting calls right away. But when she went to her first prospective client's place to make an estimate, the woman looked her up and down and scoffed, "This little girl wants to paint my house?"

Tia tried to show her the list of references and portfolio pictures she'd brought, but the woman just said, "I prefer a man!" And shut the door in her face.

Might just be me, but I think we still have room for improvement here.

For society in general, women are definitely making progress. Inarguably, much advancement has been made since the witch-hunts and iron maidens of old. I, for one, am very optimistic that one day women and men will be valued, favored, and treated equally. The gap will inevitably close and the primeval disparity will finally find its optimum equilibrium.

Learn more about this author, Lisa Frances Cole.
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