Spring Break
'Secrets' uncovered in lecture on women and power
Erik Lacayo
Daily Staff Writer
- Page 1 of 1
Political science lecturer Elena Dorabji spoke to about a dozen students in the Almaden room in a lecture titled "Secrets of Female Power."
"The assumption in America is that we have come a long way," Dorabji said. "The reality is we just began to crawl out by our fingernails of a deep abyss."
Dorabji, who attended UC Berkeley in the 1960s, said she fears that women may have lost more than they have gained since the women's movement of the 1970s.
"The present administration definitely has an agenda," Dorabji said. "What makes you think we can't lose things like the right to choose or the right to birth controls?"
Dorabji said the secret power of females is kindness and cooperation.
For most of human history, women and men in cooperation have run society, Dorabji said. It was not until 5,000 to 8,000 years ago that societies became patriarchal in nature, Dorabji said.
"In modern times, female power has been totally discombobulated," Dorabji said. "Just recently, men have been in political power."
Dorabji said that one of women's greatest powers comes with their role as mothers, raising the next generation, but even that is being threatened.
American society expects women to work full time and that comes at a cost, Dorabji said. American working mothers have less time to raise their children, Dorabji said.
"The only society where women must raise their children alone is America 2004," she said.
Sexuality is another female power, Dorabji said.
She uses the female contestants in the NBC reality show "The Apprentice" as an example. Donald Trump had to tell the women not to use their sexual power on the show, she said.
"That's such a patriarchal response," Dorabji said.
Dorabji was asked by an audience member what she thought about Martha Stewart being prosecuted.
She said there are a lot more powerful men out there not being prosecuted for white-collar crimes.
"There are thousands of men in American society who literally destroyed the American economy," she said. "The same standard is not being set."
Dorabji went on to add that women need to be in at least 30 percent of the positions of power for the good of society.
"This experiment of male dominance is not working," she said. "Men aren't fit rulers. They can be good co-rulers."
The lecture was put on by the San Jose State University Women's Resource Center for Women's History Month. Center coordinator and senior sociology major Jessica Martin said they wanted a lecture about women's role in politics because there is a double standard.
"If a woman politician had an affair, her career would be over," Martin said. "That isn't the case for male politicians."
Freshman nursing major Linda Nguyen said she attended the event for an extra-credit assignment.
"I agree with what she said about the secrets of women's power being unselfishness and kindness," Nguyen said.
Dorabji said that men have brought the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation.
Men shouldn't be afraid of sharing power with women, she said.
"We need a total human revolution," Dorabji said. "Women aren't going to be raging bitches trying to take all the power."
