Lubna Alli

Bright and early, this morning at 7:30am we were all on a bus headed for the great city of Florence, home of the Medici Family, whose presence there certainly does not go unnoticed. We were going to learn about how the Medici Family managed to use smart communication and leadership skills to leave behind the empire and legacy that still stands so strong today.

While everyone else was asking questions about how the Medici Family became so wealthy, I was more interested in the role that gender played in both their leadership style and culture. Did women have any role within the family? And, was their role significant enough when it came to making important business decisions?

Thinking back to the tour that we had today of the Medici Family house, I recall a lot of the structure of the family lifestyle being similar to that of a traditional Guyanese family’s, especially that of a religious family. Women had separate rooms from men for most activities, and in those rooms there was always a set up for children, as they spent their day tending to them. Another keen observation of mine was that men seemed to always have the front rooms that gave the most windows and light overlooking the street. The women, on the other hand, had the back room. I believe that all of these signs trace back to ideas that revolved around men being the breadwinners and protectors of the family. For that reason they were also seen as deserving more space and power.

This is also very similar to how a Guyanese household was set up, where patriarchy was the dominant determinant of leadership in the household. In today’s society things are much more modern and westernized, so, although there are undertones of patriarchy in households today, it is much more subliminal. I am curious to see how culture will evolve within the next couple hundred years from now. History has a pattern of repeating itself. Seeing a patriarchal society take precedence seems hard to imagine now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that ends up being the case. Only time will tell.

Waiting,

Lubna