October 4, 2019
In the Business Insider article about changing the gendered system of values in the workplace, cultural historian and social systems scientist Dr. Riane Eisler writes, “To work towards true equity, society needs to have a mindset shift.” She outlines how a gendered system of values in the workplace and in society creates inequalities between men and women and it attaches unequal value to the very concepts and definitions of “masculine” and “feminine”, a dynamic especially prevalent in domination social systems.
In partnership systems “productive” work is redefined to include caring for and educating people, and the significant economic value of these activities is acknowledged ultimately changing how we measure economic health.
Eisler calls for a mindset shift towards partnership social systems, “one that leaves behind old thinking in which anything associated with gender is viewed as “just” women’s issues, and marginalized or ignored. We must recognize that stereotypically “feminine” attributes are inherent in all people—male and female—and that these traits have immense value to society. At the same time, there is also an immense cost for scorning or devaluing these attributes, for men as well as for women.”
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