What if women ruled the world?
Women clearly lacked the intellectual capacity and emotional fortitude to make the difficult decisions that leadership required. It wasn't bias, it was biology - it was just the way women were made.
But that was then. In recent decades, attitudes and ideas have changed - and fast. That's not to say that every corner of the world has welcomed women moving from the traditional and private into the modern and public. But move they have.
So what's changed? A lot. As a huge and growing body of research and experience makes clear, empowering women makes things better. Not perfect. But better.
Business is more profitable. Governments are more representative. Families are stronger, and communities are healthier. There is less violence - and more peace, stability and sustainability.
Why? Well, it starts with the simple fact that women often experience life differently. And that experience affects the way we see problems - and think about solutions.
"Diversity is absolutely an asset," says Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, BBC reported.
"With diversity you bring different ways of looking at the world, different ways of analysing issues, different ways of offering solutions. The sheer fact of diversity actually increases the horizon and enriches the thinking process, which is critical."
Both women and men often say that women communicate differently, that they listen, encourage dialogue, and build consensus.
Studies also show that women also lead differently than men. They're more likely to be collaborative, inclusive and team-oriented, all characteristics that tend to be effective, particularly in today's less-hierarchical, fast-paced, innovation-driven world.
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