by Julie Melville

Created on: March 15, 2008

Is equality something men and women really want? Yes.

Equality of men and women has been an ongoing issue for generations. It began with the women's rights movement, and moved on to the, "I am woman. Hear me roar" phase, finally settling on the issue of basic equality.

I believe that men and women do want equality. In the eyes of God, we were created equal. Yet historically, many religions have put the man first, as head of the household. How ironic is that?

We were created with both feminine and masculine attributes in equal measure. Depending on our environment and conditioning, we tend to express one trait more naturally. You will often find a female with very masculine behavior, or a male who shows the feminine side of his personality. However, very few of us have found the perfect balance, planned at our time of creation.

In many ways, that is the reason we continue to search for equality in the first place. It is the balance within us, which we are seeking. It is not a question of whether men and women are equal; it is how we can more perfectly express those combined qualities to create a more satisfying life.

Essentially the concept of creating two different anatomies, stemmed around the need for procreation. The soul and spirit of humans is of the same energy. At the time of our birth, programming begins which sets the stage for whether our expression of life will be lived from a perspective of the feminine or masculine. The beliefs and attitudes of our parents, and those we grow up with, governs what we consider acceptable behavior. Sadly, "boys don't cry" and "it's important for a girl to look pretty", are still the norm, even today.

As we become more aware of how the labels for male and female affect us personally, we can alter our beliefs, to recognize that we are the same, equal in all ways. Once we understand the labeling, we can then integrate those parts of our personality hidden within us, in order to please society. With a deeper awareness of our core essence, we can begin to draw on those characteristics that have been dormant, knowing that as we do, society will change with us, allowing women their ability to be powerful, and men to be gentle, and nurturing. It will become easier to draw from our whole being, to handle day-to-day issues and crisis that occur from time to time.

The days of "men are men" and "women are women", is fading more quickly now. Over the years, we have watched the changes occur. Though, women have been more vocal about their desire for equality, we know that the strides that have been made, were due to the number of men also looking for the same equality in their lives.

At last, we are people, not gender. It is time to accept the truth of our creation, and be whole.

Learn more about this author, Julie Melville.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.