New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof presents evidence from a variety of situations proving that when women succeed, men benefit, too. He writes, “A lesson of history is that when a woman advances, humanity advances.”
In the article “When Women Win, Men Win, Too,” one example he cites is research showing the groups that make the best decisions are not those with the highest I.Q. members, but rather those that are more diverse in gender and in other ways.
In one study of 12-member teams of students running businesses, teams that were all male or all female didn’t perform as well as those that were more evenly divided. The optimal mix was 55 percent female.
He also points out that “empowering women as students and scholars elevated American higher education in ways that benefitted almost everyone.”
Other examples include more women in police departments and the benefits of having women leaders in positions of influence at companies during the recession. He contends the shattering of glass ceilings is “not only inevitable, not only a matter of fairness, but “the overwhelming evidence is that when women gain power and a seat at the table, we men benefit as well.”