Cummings: When women ruled — what we can learn from ancient Egyptian queens

E.E. Cummings

Submitted photo

• 
• 

By E.E. Cummings | Women’s Watch

As we go into another election with more women entering the political arena, I thought about historically how women who have been in leadership roles are immersed into their roles.

I decided to do some research which led me to start with the queens of Egypt. Did you know that the ancient Egyptians certainly believed in the wisdom of female rulers? Indeed, when there was a political crisis, the ancient Egyptians chose a woman time and time again to fill the power vacuum — precisely because she was the least risky option. For the ancient Egyptians, placing women in power was often the best protection for the patriarchy in times of uncertainty.

History shows that the Egyptians knew that women ruled differently from men. And so they used them to protect the patriarchy, to act as placeholders, until the next man could fill the top spot on the social pyramid. But no matter how much power they held, even though many of them were called nothing less than king, these formidable women of ancient Egypt were not able to transcend the patriarchal agenda and change the system itself. When their reigns ended, the masculine Egyptian power structure remained intact.

According to the author Kara Cooney, “Women Who Ruled The World: Six Queens of Egypt,” her research found that cognitive scientists know that the female brain is different from the male.

Social scientists have shown historically women are less likely to commit mass murder, less inclined to start a war and more likely to be more interested in nuance and decisiveness. These queens call out from the past, challenging us to place women into political power, not as representatives of a patriarchal dynasty, but as women who serve their own agendas of social connection instead of aping the aggression of their fathers, brothers and sons.

If a long time ago women really did rule the world, they were able to do so even without feminism, without a sisterhood, without their own agenda, without their own long-term hold on power.

Perhaps it’s time to look to history, to the powerful women of ancient Egypt who were the salvation of their people again and again. Harness women’s traits to connect to others, and find compromise, take the finger off the trigger and look for nuanced solutions? It is those elements that could lead humanity through the trials and tribulations of the 21st century. We should let ancient history be our guide and let women be our salvation once more, this time with their own interests front and center.

If women were to unite and work together, we’d make a formidable difference, especially since there are 97 men to every 100 women in America today.

Editor’s note: Women’s Watch is a cooperative writing effort of the local chapters of the American Association of University Women, the League of Women Voters and the National Organization for Women. This piece was authored by E.E. Cummings. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.