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NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > THE DALAI LAMA QUITE UNDERSTANDABLY MISTAKES AUSTRALIAN PM FOR A MAN
THE DALAI LAMA QUITE UNDERSTANDABLY MISTAKES AUSTRALIAN PM FOR A MAN
June 14 2011
Canberra, Australia – Things have certainly gotten better in much of the world, but the truth is that women still have a much harder time of things then men, just as they always have. That improvement has most clearly been seen in western nations where 
education and improved socialization and laws have given women more rights and more empowerment. Unfortunately, for the women of the world, those nations only constitute a small portion of the global population meaning that most members of the gender are still subject to severe restrictions and abuses.
Occasionally those worlds come into conflict with one another. Take for instance arranged marriages or on the extreme end ritualistic killings in western nations. As immigration increases, so too do the conflicts between worlds, and often it is women who are caught in the middle, just as they always have been. That poor treatment of women is often attributed to poor or unsophisticated cultures, noble savages who don’t know any better, but occasionally those gaps happen even with the more sophisticated amongst us. That was evident on Tuesday when the Dalai Lama, on a visit to Australia, mistook the Prime Minister Julia Gillard for a man. Though the Lama, easily one of the most worldly of leaders, was quickly corrected, his mistake illustrated the gap that continues between worlds, between men and women, and the amazement that a woman could in fact lead a major nation of the world.
“If your prime minister has some kind of spiritual interest then of course my meeting would be useful. Otherwise, I have nothing to ask him. Also, you see, there's no point to seek advice from him,” the Lama told reporters before he was corrected. “Oh, from her.”
The Dalai Lama is visiting the country for the fourth time in five years. PM Gillard decided not to meet with him on that basis, though Australia’s primary trading partner is China which regards the Lama as a separatist.
“The Dalai Lama visits many countries and he is 75-years old. True he is expected to be better than most people but he is going to make mistakes every now and then. He can’t be expected to remember the names of ever single leader of every single country he visits. I’m sure he remembers the major ones, but this is Australia after all. It’s a nice place to visit but, well, it’s Australia,” said Scrape TV International analyst Gustav Hander. “The truth is that there are very few female leaders in the world and so it makes sense that he would assume that Australia had a man in charge. True, there have been some major female leaders in the past – Cleopatra, all the Queens, Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher – but for the most part leaders tend to be men, rightly or wrongly. If he had a little slip, well that’s to be expected. I think most people would default to that position.”
Gillard is the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
“It’s great for her that she has been able to do all this. In many countries, including Tibet, women simply don’t have those types of opportunities. Part of that is cultural and part of it is practical, having to raise children and all that. In most countries, women still do that. I don’t think she has any children,” continued Hander. “I’m sure the Dalai Lama just assumed that was the case there as well. I mean he has every right to assume that and I’m sure is now wondering who raises the children in Australia if it isn’t the women, never min d who cooks the meals. I’m sure he will make that mistake again.”
There are currently 15 elected female heads of state, out of a possible 196.
Emil Uliya, International Correspondent
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