Thoughts

In [North] American homes when marriages fail, it is usually the husband who disappears. Women become the head of the family, responsible for instilling in sons as well as daughters the meaning of adulthood. Professional athletes, movie stars, convicts, presidents all testify to the importance of single mothers. At last summer's Olympics, the world saw Michael Phelps emerge from the pool after each event to search the crowd for his mother. The news this evening is of failing male oligarchies on Wall Street. The news this evening is of tribal chieftains at war with modernity. The news is of religious leaders who forbid the ordination of women, even as they stumble from one diplomatic gaffe to another. Throughout history, the world has been largely governed by men. When the male order falters and fails -- as it seems now -- we would make a mistake if we assumed the world was collapsing. All over the world, millions of women are valiantly venturing far from custom, little girls are walking across the desert to school.

from the essay Around The World Women Are On The Move by Richard Rodriguez, first aired April 9, 2009, on the PBS show Newshour with Jim Lehrer

Bedouin girl courtesy LOC