Hi ADG, thankyou for finding a refuge for me to hide in. Are you sure you want to speak with me? It seems I am self indulgent and have too much time on my hands.
Now I don't know how you can say power doesn't rest with white males (if indeed that is what you were saying). Look around. Who are the political leaders? Indeed who are most politicians? Who are the religious leaders? Who are captains of industry? Who are the judiciary
I not agree with conventional wisdom that says formal positions hold the real power. Often the real power sits behind the throne, the president, king , CEO etc are often puppet, being manipulated by others in their cabinte, board.
I also think that men and women wield different kinds of power and behave differently with it. Men are simpler and less able to read subtle social nuances as well as women do. They are physically stronger and have used physical strenth to settle differences between men, and intimidate women with physical and sexual dominance. Women, who biologically, have an immense responsibility in bearing children, had to find subtle ways to control male behaviour. I think they do this quite well, and very covertly, getting men to do many things that bring direct and indirect benefit to women. In the past this was food, shelter, protection from other males for them and their children.
Men traditionally have held formal positions in heirarchies, with the recent changes in contraception, women do not need to be as responsible with their sexual behaviour. At the same time the changes in attitudes to physical coercion, men are less able to physically dominate women (it still occurs, however I argue that it has lessened over the last 100 years and certainly 10,000 years.
One of the results is that women are pushing to get more of the formal positions in business, government in the same way that men have held this power. I am not sure that getting these positions is really adding to power for women.
They still have a big investment (thought less than 50 years ago) in wanting children and homes, and are trying to balance these often conflicting desires. If this is progress in giving power to women, how do we measure it? Do these women have more freedom to do what they want, when they want? A US president might have fulfilled some burning ambitions but he is no longer able to move about freely, travel as they please, and they behave depending upon what they think the voters want.
Women are getting more of this 'power' in these areas, even if it is too little and too slow for feminist activists. I suspect that many individual women are probably feeling more powerless than before. Not suprisingly so are many men. Men express their feelings about this differently, bottling them up whereas women tend to socialise this and demand that it get fixed.
The topic of gender equity is very emotive and judgemental. I do not think it is possible to analyse it objectively because some answers might mean giving up of some power or freedom.
I hope the above has given some idea of my point of view, seeing we have not had a meeting of our minds in previous posts.