But the balance is already shifting - force is losing its weight and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age, less masculine, and more permeated with the feminine ideals - or, to speak more exactly, will be an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilisation will be more evenly balanced." ('Abdu'l-Baha)
The Baha'i focus is on two issues:
* the girl child
* the role of men and boys.
The Baha'i International Community [BIC] explains that "Inclusion of the Girl Child's rights is important, when considering the Life Cycle approach," ...in many cultures, the discrimination against girls that begins in infancy can affect the course of their entire lives. Similarly, male attitudes towards gender and sexual relations are developed in boyhood, when they are often set for life. In addition, the needs and rights of individuals are different at different stages of life. For these reasons, it is important to embrace the life cycle approach to ensure that the empowerment approach takes into consideration both women and men at different stages of their lives."
