Woman being man’s inspiration, much has been written about her beauty and fragility. Throughout history, man has regarded woman as somebody to protect, to hide from the public view, a partner at home to raise his children, and to take care of him when he returns home from work. However, with the passage of time, her role has evolved. In the twentieth century, she has achieved equal status with him before the law and in society.

Now regarded as his equal, his partner in good and bad times, she has entered in practically all fields that were previously out of bounds to her: education, sports, science, law and quite recently, politics.

Besides her roles as wife and mother to Man, she has taken up the cudgels alongside him in facing the bigger problems of the world. In many countries, she has even taken over his work as breadwinner, while he tends to hearth and home. Consequently, man and woman have come to understand much better each other’s roles and abilities. They realize that they are not rivals, but rather, allies who can get more tasks done in half the time, if they work together.

Woman’s innate compassion and instinct in caring for the weak and helpless have transformed our world, making it a little kinder. Showing a different approach to peace-making, which does not exclude the signing of peace agreements and pacts, she is more hands-on, directly involved in building personal relationships with her opponents. Consider how former Philippine President Cory Aquino inspired a ‘bloodless revolution,’ the quintessential oxymoron, going against the iron-grip of the dictator ; or how Governor Grace Padaca of Isabela, Northern Luzon, faced seemingly insurmountable odds and won in her campaign election against an incumbent governor who was part of a dynasty. This helps us realize to what extent woman’s role has changed.

Despite a woman’s seemingly fragile physique, underneath she hides a steely resolve to keep her loved ones safe and warm. Balancing man’s brute force with her warmth and affection, she looks after the many details of his vision, ensuring that things get done. She is the mother of many a great man, nurturing him from infancy, and instilling in him the proper values so he can make a difference in the world. We admire the strong-willed but loving mothers of Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao, former US President John F. Kennedy, national Philippine hero Jose Rizal, US physicist Albert Einstein, and many others.

Then we meet an altogether exceptional example of womanhood in Mary who gave birth to Jesus, looking after him so that he could fulfill his mission to mankind. God chose the perfect mother for his son, Jesus, and he in his turn entrusted mankind to Mary’s maternal care.

As a wife, woman traditionally supports man in his career or vocation by creating and preserving the family home, welcoming him back after a long and tiring day at work. But now perhaps they both realize that they can complement one another and thus, by putting their heads and hearts together, the world can become a better home for today’s and tomorrow’s children.

Somehow, the presence of women in fields that used to be men’s domain, lends a softer and more humane touch to our world. On the other hand, statistics also show that more and more women are giving up their high profile careers to raise a family, or assuming jobs that can be carried out at home.

Perhaps because of all these reasons, we can see more clearly where the true beauty of women lies. Beauty is no longer skin-deep, for criteria change, as does fashion. People acquire a much more profound and holistic sense of beauty – the beauty of one’s heart and soul. We recall Helen Keller who could not see, hear nor speak all her life, but with her heart, she saw what the world around her must have been like; and her mentor Anne Sullivan, who nurtured and cared for her notwithstanding the difficulties… Their lives and struggles underline the importance of sheer willpower and strength, which can be far more effective than guns and arms. The lives of such women give us renewed hope for a better world.

Jenni Bulan