They keep women down in most cultures, communities, and religions mainly because the higher a woman evolves the tougher it gets for the man and the higher a man has to step up to match her or deserve her. Finding a mate at her level then poses a problem. If she is too smart, educated, free, self-contained, confident, ambitious then she needs someone like her or better. So, societies by default try and keep the women down simply to ensure even the average or below average man gets a mate below him.

It is also why there is intentional rewarding and celebration of women who accept the boundaries set for them and punish or ridicule women who have very high standards or desire for evolution as outliers. As women climb in their full power, the circle of available men or partners meeting them at that level of the spiritual, intellectual or physical becomes very small and at one point almost impossible. She has no option but to become self-contained in her needs and expansion if she does not want to dwarf or stifle her growth or truth. There are only two choices for her - loneliness in her full expansion or companionship in a compromise at the cost of her growth. That is why the most common advice to a girl when she marries is to 'adjust'. The same advice is never given to the boy.

The growing number of women stepping into their power both in homes and their careers and steadily climbing upwards is posing a huge problem across the world. It was a shift long coming. But, men across the world and cultures across the world are not developing the social conditions or tools for men to step up and become the best partners and co-creators for those women. We are using old, dead systems for radically challenging life conditions. The men who have tremendous potential to become equal and powerful co-creators are given no grace to evolve into their stepping up. That big shift is yet to happen.There is a tremendous struggle at the moment in trying to shift. This has to be accepted, respected and honoured just like the growth of women.

If the stepping up of women is finally getting it's acknowledgement, the stepping up of men to meet these women in that journey as co-creators and equal partners needs its due acknowledgement too and also compassion and dignity in their journey. Rewiring entire societies is a sacred and deep work. Not for the faint-hearted. It takes courage and consistent effort to rewire what is hardwired.

Co-creation is the key to a better society. Supression and elevation of any one gender creates an imbalance and it takes generations of work to correct.

We need more women stepping up. We need more men stepping up to meet those women. There has to be more grace about both these journeys.

- SS