New year, same patriarchal institutions.It’s no wonder it seems like we’re constantly on the brink of war, sinking economically, and behind in education, health care, and human rights. Men are in charge.
From both history and current events, it is difficult to ignore the recurring pattern that men are often subject to rash decisions and to unchecked emotions. They so often lack the same empathy or reason that makes women so exemplary in positions of power.
Exaggeration aside, given the ongoing failures of male-dominated governments and authority, we must move beyond patriarchy and toward gender-balanced leadership. In short, women deserve power.
Anatomical, hormonal, behavioral, evolutionary, and social factors have disposed men to be more aggressive and more likely to engage in impulsive, risky behavior — not ideal for most high-level directorial and executive roles, according to a 2025 report from Nature.com.
Women, on the other hand, have been shown to approach leadership with a heightened capacity for empathy, connection-building, and inclusiveness that bolsters their respective fields.
KPMG’s 2023 Advancing the Future of Women in Business survey reported that out of 1,500 executive women, 79 percent said they prioritize well-being for themselves and their team and exemplified support by demonstrating empathy and authenticity, boundary setting, and taking time off.
The Ready-Now Leaders report from the conference board reflected that organizations with at least 30 percent of leadership roles filled by women are 12 times more likely to be in the top 20 percent for financial performance.
The World Economic Forum acknowledged that countries with more women in government are more prosperous. Greater female representation in leadership reduces legal inequalities between men and women, removing barriers for women in the workforce. As opportunities are equalized, female workplace participation rises, benefiting both the women themselves and the country’s gross domestic product.
Despite the evidence of excellent women leadership, the patriarchy continues to reward unqualified men overqualified women. Sophia Vernon, a University of Iowa second-year, pointed to recent presidential elections as a prime example.
“Both Clinton and Harris were qualified for the job, and yet they were not elected,” she said. “Honestly, the elections were less about qualifications and more about popularity, and the way society is now, a man is always going to be more popular.”
This was apparent with current president Donald Trump’s controversial elections in both 2016 and 2024. Although Trump’s proposed policies were not universally praised, he still won both elections, notably against two women.
Society tends to prioritize tradition over competence, and wrongfully so.
That said, replacing the patriarchy with a matriarchy is neither realistic nor desirable. A matriarchy is simply patriarchy’s mirror image, and neither fully represents our world. So we need a compromise.
We need an institution reflective of our mixed gender makeup. Just like there are checks and balances between levels of government, so should there be between the different genders and their relative strengths and weaknesses.
The UN Women suggests six key steps to bridging the current gender divide. They first recommend support for policies that work to close the digital gender divide, ensuring equal access and leadership for all women and girls in technology.
They endorse investment in social protection systems, public services, and care services to give women and girls an equal chance to thrive, as well as the adoption, implementation, and funding of laws and policies that enforce and signal consequences toward violence against women while supporting local women’s organizations.
Implementation of laws, policies, and temporary special measures that increase the number of women in decision-making positions brings women closer to full and equal decision-making power. The adoption of fully financed plans to increase women’s meaningful participation in all aspects of peace and security, and the funding of women’s organizations in crises and conflict settings, would aid in the reduction of violence against women.
Lastly, the organization promotes the prioritization of women and girls in climate action by increasing investment in their leadership and access to green jobs.
“I absolutely see a need for change, and I think the way that the current administration is going has a lot of people frustrated with the vote that happened or regretful about the way they themselves voted,” Vernon said.
Especially as the alternative vote could have seen things being so different, it’s easy to get caught up in regret and resignation. But we can still change.
While a girl can only dream of the day when women run the world, greater gender equality is a reasonable resolution for 2026.