Did the GFC end the road for men?

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Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history. Most managers are now women too. And for every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will do the same. For years, women's progress has been cast as a struggle for equality. But what if equality isn't the end point? What if modern, post industrial society is simply better suited to women? The Atlantic recently published a thought-provoking report on the unprecedented role reversal now under way- and its vast cultural consequences.

The global financial crisis and years of economic pain are at least in part due to unbalanced corporate cultures and too many men making decisions, according to the article. That combined with years of women doing better at school and university may be a tipping point for many companies: in this gloomy global economy, companies simply cannot afford to shun their brightest talent, which increasingly are women.

Commenting on the article, blogger Tony Featherstone wrote "in Australia, we've seen the number of women on boards of top 200 companies reach almost 10% - still far too low, but progress all the same…Many more women are starting small businesses in Australia, which bodes well for more female entrepreneurs. And we have our first female Prime Minister, at least for now.

"It's not nearly enough, but change is occurring faster than many realise."

 Some key facts from The Atlantic:

• Many more US couples are choosing to have girls over boys.
• Men have lost six out of eight million jobs in the US post the GFC.
• Worst hit are male-dominated sectors, such as finance, construction and manufacturing.
• Men dominate just two of 15 industries projected to grow the most over the next decade.
• Three women will receive a bachelor degree in the US this year for every two men.
• Women in the US now earn 60% of all masters degrees and 42% of MBAs.
• The gap between women and men at US universities is becoming so wide that some observers predict a university "gender-gap" crisis.
• More support groups are being formed in the US to help out-of-work, disaffected males.
• More women in India are learning English than men.
• Women own more than 40% of all private enterprises in China.

Better school marks and more women at universities are creating tangible results for companies, and as The Atlantic reports: "The association is clear: innovative, successful firms are the ones that promote women." 

And countries that have more women in power experience greater economic success, according to a 2006 Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development study.

At the same time, more questions are being asked about whether the lack of women in senior positions in the finance industry contributed to the GFC…read more from Tony Featherstone or read The Atlantic essay here.