The partnership model emphasizes respect, equity and shared
decision making between men, women, humans of all ethnicities
and social classes as the basis of an equitable nation. The
movement in recent history from monarchies and dictatorships
to democracy is a global movement towards the partnership
model. However women and children, racial minorities and other
groups were, for many years, left out of the benefits conferred
by democracy. It is probably safe to say that we move in a
continuum between dominator and partnership models and this
is observed in the range and style of modern democracies.
Some modern societies have moved much more quickly toward
the partnership model. Eisler points to the Scandinavian world.
"What you see there is the first peace academies, the
first laws making it illegal to hit children; you see a place
where women and men are much more equally represented in government.
(35-48% compared to the US with 6%).The status of women is
much higher, and with this you see government policies that
promote caring and caregiving."
The healthcare is for everybody, childcare for everybody,
paid parental leave, she reports: "These were all pioneered
in the Scandinavian world. And you have not only much more
representative democracy, and women aren't just token, but
you have much more economic democracy: a much higher living
standard for all. They are not perfect societies, but there
is a much higher quality of life for all because they are
closer to the partnership configuration. It's there for all
to see, once we know what we're looking for."
"It is not coincidental that the Scandinavian nations
pioneered the first peace academies. It is not coincidental
that they pioneered laws prohibiting physical violence against
children in families. It is not coincidental that they pioneered
social and economic policies that support caregiving: universal
health care, childcare, paid parental leave. These are not
coincidences. These are part of what we begin to see if we
really look at the totality of social systems from this new
system of classification.
"Also in the partnership model, we find spirituality
as something inherent in all of us and in our larger world,
something each of us can access directly, something that can
imbue our lives with greater meaning and purpose, and yes,
pleasure; something in which love, rather than fear, is central,
but love not just in the abstract, but love in action. I firmly
believe that part of our higher destiny is to put love into
action by challenging unjust authority, by truly caring for
ourselves, for one another, and our Mother Earth
Eisler is finding the inclination towards partnership to
be "the most powerful movement in our world today. But
it's more of a grass-roots movement, and there are very powerful
institutional forces, and also within us a lot of the old
dominator luggage, pushing us back."
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