I agree with the author, the Baltic states women are special. When I was a foreign tourist guide, foreign men very often were surprised that in Riga there are a lot of very beautiful women. For my part, touring Europe, for instance Germany or Scandinavia, I was stunned by their ladies. Do women really need to try and look like men, when an average woman rather often has a neglected face and body, shabby taste and is not womanly but, quite the opposite, and always trousered (wearing pants). Does it mean that being natural has to be unkempt?
As one opinion poll carried out in Germany in the second half of last year found, 16 percent of women think that the ideal number of kids in a German family is zero. Another one poll executed some years ago in Germany showed that 4 to 5 of all women would like to be a man. It is not surprising their women are losing their womanhood and look rather masculine. What if the men would want to be like women?
In Western societies for centuries there is the dominance of masculine element since a woman still has not gotten appropriate place and esteem because a woman often still is just a supplement to a man. It results that society and family both are ruled by the physically stronger, as if we would be savages. Let's remember that the Christian Bible was written solely by men and that there is no almost any role for a woman, at the very best woman is just a man's decoration.
I, as a man, can be only glad that in the Baltics a woman as a phenomenon and feminine element for ages enjoys ancient, strong and stable traditions that a woman can and manages to be womanly. One can even say that a woman is a decisive and leading force in the societal development. By the way, Latvia has the first spot as a country with the highest ratio of women in Europe. As many say, Latvia is dominated by matriarchate. I find it great since only a woman can give birth to a life but most destruction and wars had been brought about by a man.
The Latvian language is dominated by a feminine gender. The main concepts are feminine, e.g. in the slogan 'For Fatherland and Freedom;' all the world countries are feminine, as well as all cities and rivers, the sky and the earth. Such notions as a state, power, art, love and happiness are feminine. I will never understand how love can be masculine in French, Italian and Spanish (Roman) languages.
I agree with the author of the aforementioned article, that Baltic women are hard to understand. I am of opinion, it is nearly impossible for a man to understand a woman at all.
Gundars Sondors
Jelgava, Latvia
