"To my way of thinking, a feminist is anyone who believes that men and women should be equal. That men and women should have equal rights. That men and women should have equal access to opportunity. That men and women should be paid equally for work of equal value and should be equally free from the threat of violence. Being a feminist simply means believing in equality." Angus McLintock in Terry Fallis' “The High Road”As I sit down to write today, I am thinking about a topic that is especially dear to my heart. Having been raised primarily by my mother and with my sisters, the essential strength, decency, intelligence, wisdom, compassion and fundamental value of girls and women in our society and the world has been self-evident to me for as long as I can remember. Having also grown up in a time, a culture, a society, and a profession that favors men in so many ways over women has left me puzzled, and troubled, for a very long time.

I am certain that women and men, girls and boys, are equally valuable in each of the qualities I list above and in many more. That we are all equally valuable as people. In a similar way, I am entirely certain that we are equally valuable across the many other dimensions of human variability including race, ethnicity, spiritually, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, physical and intellectual abilities, political beliefs, and other characteristics and choices.

For me, then, our essential equality is a given. Accepting this as a fact, I can only be troubled by the many examples of inequality in the treatment of, regard and opportunity for, and attitudes toward so many of the persons with whom we share this planet. All of these unjustifiable inequalities trouble me. That we inflict them on women and girls, who represent approximately 50% of the human population of our planet, troubles me even more.

This is not to say that men and women, or members of other different groups, are the same. Indeed, our diversity of abilities, intelligences, perspectives, and personalities is one of the things that makes us stronger, and our lives richer, when we come together in teams and communities. The differences between groups, and the even greater differences between individuals across all these groups, are of great value. Yet, with all our differences, each of us is equally valuable in our potential to make a positive difference.

In essence, what I struggle against is the gap between the equality of our value to society, and ultimately to one another, and the inequality in the way we treat one another. Even more than inequality, I am troubled by the inequity I see in our different treatment of women and men. Equity involves trying to understand and give people what they need to flourish, contribute to society, and enjoy full, healthy lives. It is clear that the treatment of the vast majority of women remains inequitable.

I’ve asked those I lead to use a simple question to help them make good choices and decisions. “Is it right?” Clearly, when we examine our treatment of girls and women, and many other groups, the answer is “not yet.” Girls and women face a much greater risk of violence and poverty, and have less opportunity to learn, grow, and be rewarded for the value they provide than men. As a result, they are underrepresented in many academic disciplines, and professions, and among those in positions of power and influence.

We must take action to ensure changes in our societies that will result in right action toward women, girls, and others currently faced with inequity. We must work to insure equity in education, equity in opportunity, and equity in salary. We will have to spend some time convincing those who are underrepresented in our academic programs and professions, such as STEAM fields including IT, that these represent meaningful and attractive opportunities. We will have to evolve the culture in these areas to ensure women, girls, and others from underrepresented groups are truly welcomed, valued, and treated as equals.

We will have to adjust to the economic changes associated with salary equity. While the cost of increasing the salary and benefits for women to equal those offered to men will be substantial, I believe that the resulting increases in productivity and creativity will more than offset this cost over time. For too long we have treated women in ways that make it harder for them to reach their potential and make the contributions they are capable of making. We will all benefit from ending this inequity.

Me must truly honor the rich contributions women make in all aspects of life by valuing them equally and ensuring they are treated equitably. We must keep working to help change gender stereotypes and to highlight the wonderful examples that many women are providing as they achieve their potential and make great contributions in fields where they remain underrepresented. We also need to help change stereotypes that have discouraged men from sharing, and choosing, work traditionally done by women. By living in equity at home, we can help make our families and relationships stronger, and provide valuable role models for our children.

The less tangible benefits of acknowledging, and honoring, our equal value promise to be far greater. When our treatment of one another reflects real equity grounded in the essential equality of our value, then mutual respect, openness to one another's ideas and contributions, and true freedom to pursue our full potential will lift us all to greater heights together. We must eliminate the false constraints of inequity and embrace our full capabilities. I look forward to spending significant time in retirement working to make this a reality.