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INTRODUCTION xxix
a lady would be the source of wisdom and a calming influence
on the family. Till the end of her life she would be surrounded
by loving family members.
However, this is a far cry from the life of a woman today.
The girls are taught that they must realize their potential by
going beyond the confinement of their homes. The society,
and particularly the media, has fostered the idea that to be
‘just a housewife’ is simply unacceptable. The women, being
equal to men in every respect, must be allowed, encouraged,
and in cases of resistance given special privileges by law, so
that they are able to take their rightful place beside the men,
in every sphere of life. Today, a girl spends the first twenty
years of her life studying and the next forty years working.
Somewhere in between, she may get married and have children,
but if and when that happens depends upon how she is able
to fit it into her grand plan of life. We are told that this, in
fact, is the process of women’s empowerment, and that after
centuries of being sidelined, women are finally being heard
and are getting their due. Clearly, the generations before us
had it figured out all wrong, but fortunately, now everything
is falling into place.
Except that it isn’t.
Śrīla Prabhupāda noted:
Actually, in the Western countries at least we see that the
woman class, they want equal rights with men. And there is.
There is no distinction. But it is my experience, the woman
class, they are not happy in the Western countries. 1
1. Lecture by Śrīla Prabhupāda, December 8, 1972.