Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and wife of Bill Gates, the founder and majority shareholder of Microsoft and one of the world’s richest individuals, authored the remarkable book The Moment of Lift.
In her book, Melinda Gates argues that empowering women tends to change the world for the better. Indeed, keeping women down, and thereby creating a male-dominated society, can impair society! Such societies are exclusive rather than inclusive and tend to be less effective; therefore, these areas have fewer innovations and are more likely to stay stunted in their growth compared to women-inclusive societies. The author notes that exclusive societies, where people are also less likely to connect with each other, tend to be less wealthy due to restrictions placed on women. She documents the exclusivity that can be found in many parts of society due to, for instance, religious rules (e.g., the Catholic Church’s virtual ban on contraception and tradition of promoting only unmarried male priests), societal conventions (e.g., gender-based clothing, the customary mandate that restricts a woman’s work to domestic duties, belief that women should obey husbands’ dictates, child marriage), and discrimination in the work place (e.g., salary discrepancies relative to men, assignments to positions perceived to be less prestigious). These discriminatory factors, as well as others, such as sexual abuse, legislation against free choice, and nominations of candidates whose views essentially conflict with women’s interests for political offices, can certainly be found in Western societies, too.
The author presents a variety of issues that require further attention – from women’s rights to decide whether and when to have children and to marry, to have the freedom to seek opportunities (by being relieved from excessive unpaid work, often at home, and/or by being discriminated against as women-cum-farmers), to attend college, to be given the “right” to use income that they have contributed to, or to push one’s own goals. Mrs. Gates also discusses her own life and the evolution toward equality in her own marriage (chapter five). Throughout, she shares important insights from her numerous interactions with leaders, many of whom have become her role models, such as Dr. Hans Rosling (see my review of his 2017 book, Factfulness).
In her introduction, Melinda Gates presents the argument she repeats throughout the book – that women, having achieved equality, are the lift! Then, in a compelling first chapter, she describes how she and her husband got started in philanthropic work: first by focusing on family planning, then on other health-related issues to then emerge with a focus to fight poverty.
The author then discusses health issues related to pregnancy, birth, and early childhood. She explains that many traditions tend to increase the medical risk for mother and child; Gates then makes the crucial point that the distribution of advances in medicine may be more important than the scientific advances themselves.
The next chapter discusses how sending girls to school leads to them being able to use skills that will contribute to the dismantling of the rules that otherwise keep them down. Their education may result in greater literacy, higher wages, faster income growth, and improved work situations. However, a long way remains to go in making schooling more widely available in many societies.
In chapter five, the author discusses unpaid work. Both men and women are contributors to life at home, both responsible for cooking, cleaning, and attending to the children. Such a natural (re-)balancing process may improve the relationship between men and women. Furthermore, mutual respect may flourish and substitute inferiority.
Child marriage is the subject of chapter six. This scourge is a major problem in many cultures; it often leads to tragic consequences for young women, both in regards to education, health and otherwise. The author points out that the younger the child bride, the less able she is to voice her own views. Additionally, the author points out that many traditions and “moral blind spots” might in effect “kill” moral progress. Removing such “blind spots” seems key to a more inclusive world for women. However, such a process is difficult and often takes time. In most cases, legislation is far from enough!
The next chapter begins with a discussion of women in agriculture, but ends with a discussion on a far different topic – namely, the dysfunctional and de facto discriminatory effects of religion. A theme common to both issues seems to be that “men write the rules.” Again, this is perhaps not intentional, but nevertheless, women are discriminated against and are restricted.
In the final chapter (chapter nine), Mrs. Gates discusses the lift of women coming together and provides a range of examples. Perhaps the most compelling of which is how Indian sex workers gather in teams to protect themselves against (and thus counteract) violence in their workplaces, including violence perpetrated by the police. She makes the argument that there will always be strong centralized forces, but that these same forces sometimes – and often unintentionally – also may create outsiders. This tendency must be “fought,” but non-violence is key here. The author makes the argument that many women have the ability to withstand pain, whereas many men prefer to retaliate against it. Civil wars may be more easily prevented in matriarchal societies. This was the case in Liberia but certainly not the case in Myanmar, where severe ethnic cleansing took place despite the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize winner.
All in all, The Moment of Lift makes a powerful argument for why equality and balance should exist, in reference not only to gender but also to race and the issue of poverty versus affluence. Mrs. Gates presents a convincing case that such an inclusive society is more likely to thrive. I also found it fascinating to follow the author’s impressive journey toward more in-depth learning and understanding regarding how to generate more effective aid and also how to do so in a way that both gender equality and social inclusion are enhanced. I am amazed by Mrs. Gates’ hard work on this cause during her more than 20 years as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The amount she has traveled is overwhelming. She seems to have an incredible knack for remembering details, impressions and impacts from the many people she has met. This book is important and readable; it comes highly recommended!
Comments