From a Grain to a Harvest

I recently came across an interesting website, Psychology Matters, whose mission is to demonstrate "the application and value of psychological science in our everyday lives." The site includes brief reports on a variety of interesting topics, one of which examines the effect thinking of intelligence as changeable rather than fixed has on academic achievement. This report describes an experiment in which one group of students was informed of the malleability of intelligence and another was not (the control group). The study found that the students who were told that intelligence is changeable had greater improvement in their grades, and saw academics as more important, than the students in the control group. The report goes on to describe the application of this principle with a group of seventh-grade students in New York:

During the first eight weeks of the spring term, these students learned about the malleability of intelligence by reading and discussing a science-based article that described how intelligence develops. A control group of seventh-grade students did not learn about intelligence's changeability, and instead learned about memory and mnemonic strategies. As compared to the control group, students who learned about intelligence's malleability had higher academic motivation, better academic behavior, and better grades in mathematics. Indeed, students who were members of vulnerable groups (e.g., those who previously thought that intelligence cannot change, those who had low prior mathematics achievement, and female students) had higher mathematics grades following the intelligence-is-malleable intervention, while the grades of similar students in the control group declined. In fact, girls who received the intervention matched and even slightly exceeded the boys in math grades, whereas girls in the control group performed well below the boys.

These findings shed an interesting light on the importance placed in the Writings of the Baha'i Faith on education. 'Abdu'l-Baha described the interplay between education and the unique God-given capacity bestowed upon each individual as follows:

. . . education cannot alter the inner essence of a man, but it doth exert tremendous influence, and with this power it can bring forth from the individual whatever perfections and capacities are deposited within him. A grain of wheat, when cultivated by the farmer, will yield a whole harvest, and a seed, through the gardener's care, will grow into a great tree. Thanks to a teacher's loving efforts, the children of the primary school may reach the highest levels of achievement; indeed, his benefactions may lift some child of small account to an exalted throne. Thus is it clearly demonstrated that by their essential nature, minds vary as to their capacity, while education also playeth a great role and exerteth a powerful effect on their development.

Moreover, one of the central teachings of the Baha'i Faith is the primary importance of educating female children, as one of the most significant obstacles to the establishment of the equality of women and men in the world, and all of the attendant consequences of this development, has been the denial of educational opportunities to women. It is interesting in this light to consider the finding of the study cited above related to the marked improvement in math grades for female students who received the "intelligence-is-malleable intervention." 'Abdu'l-Baha writes:

. . . the principle of religion has been revealed by Bahá'u'lláh that woman must be given the privilege of equal education with man and full right to his prerogatives. That is to say, there must be no difference in the education of male and female in order that womankind may develop equal capacity and importance with man in the social and economic equation. Then the world will attain unity and harmony.

And finally, one last quotation from 'Abdu'l-Baha that relates very closely to the findings of the study:

When one attempts to educate a person, one should inspire him with hope and ambition so his capacity for progress may increase. He should not be told that he is inferior or weaker in qualities. If you tell a pupil in school that his intelligence is less than that of the other pupils, it is a very great obstacle to his advancement. On the contrary, he must be encouraged to advance, saying: you are most capable, and if you endeavor you will reach the highest pitch -- and that is the way it should be.

The Effects of Gender Diversity

Thanks to a recent letter to the editor in The Wall Street Journal, I just learned of a study by Catalyst, a leading research and advisory organization, that found a link between gender diversity in the highest levels of corporate management and the financial performance of companies. The study was released in January of 2004, and an article in BusinessWeek Online contains the following summary:

[Catalyst] released a study showing that indeed gender diversity and financial performance are linked -- in a large and positive way. On average, companies with the highest percentage of women among their top officers had a return on equity 35.1% higher than those with the fewest high-level women. Total return to shareholders was 34% higher for the companies with the most executive women, vs. those with the fewest.

"The magnitude of the difference between low-gender diversity and high-gender diversity is quite big. I think everybody fundamentally believes gender diversity is a good thing, but to find something that strong is very impressive," says Harvey Wagner, an adviser on the study and a professor of business at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

. . .

While Lang [the President of Catalyst] is quick to note that the study doesn't establish a cause-and-effect relationship, she is encouraged. "We hope people will take this report for what it is. At face value, as a lot of data that shows a correlation. Then they'll think about how it will impact their company," she says. "We hope companies will establish and maintain the policies that enable them to retain and recruit diverse women." Catalyst's goal: that valuing diversity "will become part of any company's DNA."

The full text of the Catalyst study can be found here.

On a related note, one of the central precepts of the Bahá'í Faith is that the diversity of humankind--whether it be diversity of gender, race, age, temperment, or countless other traits--is a source of strength when brought under a unifying influence. The findings of the Catalyst study seem to be a step towards the recognition of this principle. The following words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá bear eloquent testimony to this beautiful teaching:

. . . when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest.

Beyond the benefits that acrue to these organizations and particular individuals involved from promoting gender diveristy and greater equality, these advances have profound and far-reaching effects for the larger society, as described by 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

. . . let it be known once more that until woman and man recognize and realize equality, social and political progress here or anywhere will not be possible. For the world of humanity consists of two parts or members: one is woman; the other is man. Until these two members are equal in strength, the oneness of humanity cannot be established, and the happiness and felicity of mankind will not be a reality. God willing, this is to be so.

Increasing the Light of the World

Every once in a while you come across a refreshing bit of news about family life that stands out in sharp relief to the litany of bad news about families that typically comes our way through the media. Today's New York Times contains just this in the form of an article by Robert Pear detailing research finding that the amount of time parents spend rearing children has increased over the last 40 years. Pear writes:

At first . . . “it seems reasonable to expect that parental investment in child-rearing would have declined” since 1965, when 60 percent of all children lived in families with a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother. Only about 30 percent of children now live in such families. With more mothers in paid jobs, many policy makers have assumed that parents must have less time to interact with their children.

But, the researchers say, the conventional wisdom is not borne out by the data they collected from families asked to account for their time. The researchers found, to their surprise, that married and single parents spent more time teaching, playing with and caring for their children than parents did 40 years ago.

For married mothers, the time spent on child care activities increased to an average of 12.9 hours a week in 2000, from 10.6 hours in 1965. For married fathers, the time spent on child care more than doubled, to 6.5 hours a week, from 2.6 hours. Single mothers reported spending 11.8 hours a week on child care, up from 7.5 hours in 1965.

Key to this shift, the article indicates, has been the decline in hours working mothers have had to dedicate to housework, and a more than doubling of the hours fathers spend on housework.

This is not to say that all things are rosy or that gender inequalities do not persist in this arena, but it is a heartening sign of the increasing awareness of the important role of parents in child rearing and the increasing assumption of responsibility in this area by men.

The Bahá'í Writings provide the following spiritual guidance on this topic:

. . . in this new cycle, education and training are recorded in the Book of God as obligatory and not voluntary. That is, it is enjoined upon the father and mother, as a duty, to strive with all effort to train the daughter and the son, to nurse them from the breast of knowledge and to rear them in the bosom of sciences and arts.

In terms of the question of why this emphasis on education and training, 'Abdu'l-Bahá writes:

Every child is potentially the light of the world -- and at the same time its darkness; wherefore must the question of education be accounted as of primary importance. From his infancy, the child must be nursed at the breast of God's love, and nurtured in the embrace of His knowledge, that he may radiate light, grow in spirituality, be filled with wisdom and learning, and take on the characteristics of the angelic host.

Women and Corporate Leadership

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Carol Hymowitz takes stock of the availability of positions of corporate leadership to women. Hymowitz cites several recent positive developments in this arena, including Irene Rosenfeld becoming the CEO of Kraft Foods and Patricia Woertz becoming the chief executive at Archer-Daniels-Midland, both of which are leading companies in their fields. Moreover, according to the article women in the United States are launching small businesses at more than twice the rate of men, and are also outperforming men in colleges and professional schools. Yet, the article asserts, on the whole women in recent years have not made significant progress in obtaining senior positions at large corporations.

Hymowitz elaborates:

The vast majority of women, who hold more than half of all management and professional jobs and have been in the pipeline for decades now, still are concentrated in entry-level and middle ranks. Last year, they held 16.4% of Fortune 500 corporate officer jobs—the titles of at least vice president and positions that require board approval—an increase of just 0.7% from 2002, according to the latest study of executive women by Catalyst, the New York research group. The survey also found women comprised just 6.4% of the top earners among corporate officers, a 1.2% rise in the same period. These are lower growth rates than Catalyst reported in prior surveys, done every three years over the past decade.

The article indicates that much debate about how to improve the current situation has been stirred up by the study’s findings. One focal point has been the need for companies to provide an environment in which women can pursue their careers in a manner that is harmonious with family responsibilities. Put most succinctly by one individual quoted in the article, “‘We’ve been trying to fix women so they fit into the lockstep male career model, instead of changing the model.’” Hymowitz also asserts that CEOs must be made to understand that it is in their best interests to have women in the hightest positions of corporate leadership, as this will result in a competitive advantage in the increasinlgy global and diverse marketplace. The article also stresses the need for women earlier in their careers to be given opportunities to hold positions with "the crucial profit-and-loss responsibility they need to vie for senior positions."

It is interesting in this context to consider the following quotation from 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

The difference in capability between man and woman is due entirely to opportunity and education. Heretofore woman has been denied the right and privilege of equal development. If equal opportunity be granted her, there is no doubt she would be the peer of man. History will evidence this. In past ages noted women have arisen in the affairs of nations and surpassed men in their accomplishments.

As noted above, recent findings indicate that in the United States women are exceeding men in educational achievement in preparation for their careers. Yet the Catalyst study indicates that women have been hindered in their attempts to obtain positions of corporate leadership. It appears, then, that the area of opportunity, stressed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, is where systematic effort needs to be focused, and it is encouraging to read articles such as Ms. Hymowitz's, which illustrate an awareness of this issue and propose steps to be taken to address it.

Advancement of Women in Kuwait

The parliamentary elections in Kuwait last Thursday marked the first time that women were able to stand for office and vote at the national level. Kuwait is among the last of the Gulf States to allow women to participate in national elections.

A BBC article cites international pressure as being one of the prime catalysts in bringing about this development but states that it "also stems from other 21st Century factors, not the least the opening up of the media--and hence the debate--through satellite television."

Although none of the female candidates won a seat in the legislature in Thursday's election, women voters turned out in significant numbers, "[m]any queu[ing up] for hours at segregated polling stations in the suffocating heat." This development, along with others noted in an earlier post, seem to be steps towards the fulfillment of the following promise, articulated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 1913:

In this Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, the women go neck and neck with the men. In no movement will they be left behind. Their rights with men are equal in degree. They will enter all the administrative branches of politics. They will attain in all such a degree as will be considered the very highest station of the world of humanity and will take part in all affairs. Rest ye assured. Do ye not look upon the present conditions; in the not far distant future the world of women will become all-refulgent and all-glorious, for His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh hath willed it so! At the time of elections the right to vote is the inalienable right of women, and the entrance of women into all human departments is an irrefutable and incontrovertible question. No soul can retard or prevent it.

A Step Towards Full Participation

In the last few days, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female head of state, took office, and the people of Chile elected their first female president--Michelle Bachelet , bringing to mind the following awe-inspiring words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

So it will come to pass that when women participate fully and equally in the affairs of the world, when they enter confidently and capably the great arena of laws and politics, war will cease; for woman will be the obstacle and hindrance to it. This is true and without doubt.

Certainly we remain at a distance from the full and equal particpation of women in world affairs that, as described by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, will result in the cessation of warfare. However these are unprecedented developments whose spiritual implications are worth a great deal of reflection.