Kazimiera Prunskiene -- IN ABSENTIA
Former Prime Minister of Lithuania
President of the Lithuanian Women's Association
The Lithuanian people have finally regained independence after five long decades of foreign occupation. However, independence from other states does not necessarily mean that a person is free and not restricted by inner and outer constraints in his or her day-to-day existence and creative activities. In Lithuania, as in many other countries of the world, the absolute majority of women have not yet become equal members of the society de facto. They are fettered by centuries-old traditions which provide the woman with only a second-rate role.
With abstract rights only formally declared, opportunities for women to express themselves on an equal basis in professional and social life, as well as in politics and government structures are actually restricted. State-promoted patriarchal policies have made a deep imprint on the woman's mind and her way of life. It is the women who bear the brunt of ghastly consequences resulting from wars, disturbances, famine, diseases and other calamities which are often provoked by human activity.
The inferior position of a woman has not been created solely by an imperfect political system. It is not enough to pass legis- lation on protecting women's rights and to dismantle the existing totalitarian system to improve the current situation. The roots of sex inequality go back to ethnic traditions, religious be- liefs, economic realities as well as specific female interests and motivations. The natural calling of a woman to take care of day-to-day needs, to give birth and raise children does not allow her to break away from the basic necessities of life which, in their turn, predetermine human existence and the future of humankind. As a rule, women are less interested in the abstract perpetuities of career-making and are less excited by political games. More often they have to fight for survival than for gaining power. On the other hand, the patriarchal orientation of the male population towards government service distracts men from social and economic realities. Unfortunately, the common inter- ests of all human beings are forgotten in this struggle for power.
The participation of women in politics and government structures is not merely a passing whim or an issue of power distribution among men and women. There is a much deeper meaning to this, namely:
Women of the world, united by universal human interests are slowly discarding the old role of a passive victim who submits - with no questions asked - to the influence of the aggressive environment. The expansion of the international feminist movement has made a certain impact on women's activities in countries of spiritual and economic revival. Numerous women's organizations are emerging on the local scene. In Lithuania, the majority of these organizations have united into the Lithuanian Women's Association. A quote from its appeal:
"The government is slow to meet our demands to make Lithuania a civilized democratic state in the field of women's rights and to encourage more women to participate in solving state problems. Neither does the government support the activities of the Lithua- nian Women's Association. Our efforts produce tangible results only in those areas where we are able to implement our resolu- tions all by ourselves. It is evident that further improvement of the current situation rests on the women. As essential condition to advance our cause is democratic elections and the expression of the women's will in the voting procedure. It is not by force of flippant promises, but by a motivated and firm public stand as well as by well-organized activities that women can and must participate in elections (not in artificially arranged early elections). We do not wish to take up government post right away and at any costs: we wish to see competent, initiative and devoted people in these posts; we seek to rehabilitate the government in the eyes of the people and to make it respected by all. We are not satisfied with performing secondary roles of attending members of the society. We shall not accept the de- formed tradition of the absolute male priority, since it did not justify itself either during the Soviet times or after reestab- lishing Independence".
During less than 18 months of our joint activities, women have matured considerably and decided to openly influence state issues. They no longer avoid speaking about participating in politics. Slowly but surely this has become an integral part of our painfully developing democracy. The document of the Fourth World Women's Conference, due to be held in Bejing in 1995, notes, - and justly - that a democracy which excludes half of the humankind from political life is far from being a true democracy. Only by working together on equal-rights basis we can create a democratic society which will guarantee adequate living condi- tions, human rights, peaceful justice and healthy existence on our planet.
Women can and must change the world for the benefit of the whole humankind. Men are able to destroy the planet on their own. But only men and women together can preserve and improve the world and fill it with love and kindness.
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