Evaluation

According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who "shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolotion or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

 

Alfred Nobel's will further specified that the prize be awarded by a committee of five people chosen by the Norwegian Parliament.  Nobel died in 1896 and he did not leave an explanation for choosing peace as a prize category.

            Over the 100+ years since the institution of the Nobel Peace prize there have been some controversy over some of the winners.  This year three women were awarded the prize.  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, Leymah Gbowee also of Liberia and a peace activist and Tawakul Karman a journalist from Yemen "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work."  Researching each of the women on Wikipedia my first thought is "why all 3" when Leymah Gbowee appears to be a strong candidate all on her own?  She co-founded a peace movement that brought about the end of the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003 and has clearly been an activist for peace.  I don’t mean to disparage the other ladies hard work but sometimes it seems to me that the Nobel committee doesn’t send a clear message when there are co-recipients.

            Despite all the advances of human rights in the western world women’s recognition is still far behind that of men.  We are still a long way from being equal, just ask the female professors at the University of Calgary who are paid on average 20% less than their male counterparts.  There’s a shocker for you.  The banking industry is notorious for being discriminatory towards women.  Articles like to soften the discrimination by saying some of it is caused by women themselves, or that bosses are doing their female staff a favour by “covering” for them and not asking them to take on “challenging” roles.  Thanks but we do know the value of money and no matter what we are in it for the money.  I don’t get up at 4:00 a.m. every morning because I like it.  I do this because I am going where the money is – downtown Calgary.  If I could make the same money in my little town, naturally I would do so. 

            When women are recognized, I feel good for the ladies but also for womankind in general.  There are so many unsung heroines in the world today. Don’t be our own worst enemy.  Self evaluation should be to the good.  Avoid self deprecation and blow your own horn.   Your worth it.