Evolution, Not Ruin: What Women Really Did to the Workplace

Here we go again. Another viral “hot take” making the rounds. This time courtesy of The New York Times asking if women ruined the workplace.

And all around the world, women collectively rolled their eyes so hard we pulled a muscle.

Spoiler alert: we didn’t ruin the workplace. We changed it. And frankly, thank God we did.

Let’s get one thing straight — the modern workplace wasn’t exactly thriving before women arrived and "ruined" it. It was built for men, by men, around men’s lives. Schedules assumed someone else was home doing the childcare. Offices were designed with zero thought to nursing mothers. And leadership was often rewarded for stoicism over empathy. Having a poker face was practically a performance review metric.

So when women entered those spaces and started asking for things like basic humanity, it rattled a few folks. But what we actually did was drag the workplace, sometimes kicking and screaming, into the 21st century.

We fought for laws that protect nursing mothers and give parents space to be parents. We pushed for maternity leave and paternity leave, because both parents deserve time to bond with their babies. We normalized flexible schedules, because school pick-ups and soccer games don’t always fit neatly between 9 and 5. And yes, I can personally confirm when companies refuse to adapt, they don’t just lose great women. They drive them out. (Been there. Done that.)

We also helped usher in the work-from-home revolution. Sure, the pandemic poured gasoline on it, but women had been championing flexibility long before “Zoom” became a verb. We proved that showing up doesn’t mean sitting under fluorescent lights all day. It means getting the work done well, wherever you are.

And here’s where the New York Times piece really got under my skin. It starts from the premise that “men and women are different” — as if that’s the problem. Yes, we’re different. But difference isn’t destruction. It’s evolution. The very traits that were once dismissed as “too emotional” or “too soft” like empathy, communication, and collaboration are now recognized as leadership superpowers. We didn’t bring chaos into the workplace; we brought emotional intelligence. And that, my friends, is a strength, not a liability.

We’ve also brought vulnerability, which is another word that still makes some people twitchy. But vulnerability doesn’t weaken teams. It connects them. It builds trust. It helps us see one another as humans, not job titles.

And that’s the real issue, isn’t it? As one critic of the article smartly put it, we shouldn’t be asking if women are ruining the workplace, we should be asking if the workplace is ruining people. Because for decades, the traditional model of work has burned people out, numbed them emotionally, and punished them for having lives outside the office. Women didn’t create that system. We exposed it.

Of course, the article (and the wave of commentary it inspired) leans on that tired old trope: that women’s anger, or insistence on fairness, somehow threatens civilization itself. That asking for equal pay, better benefits, or a safer environment is “too much.” Give me a fucking break. This framing isn’t new, it’s just patriarchy in a fresh outfit. Women asking for justice aren’t ruining anything. We’re repairing what’s been broken.

The workplace isn’t collapsing. It’s transforming. Purpose, empathy, and flexibility aren’t flaws; they’re upgrades. Change always feels like an ending to those who benefit from the old rules. And it's time for the old rulebook to burn. If that feels like chaos, maybe it’s because you’re still clinging to a system past its expiration date.

We’ve changed the workplace for the better, and not just for women. Emotional intelligence helps everyone. Flexibility helps everyone. Respect helps everyone. These are not “female” traits, they’re human ones.

And before anyone rolls their eyes and mutters that this is “feminism on steroids,” let’s get this straight: feminism isn’t a radical agenda. It’s the belief that women should be treated equally. That’s it. If that offends you, you don’t have a problem with feminism. You have a problem with decency.

Women simply stopped pretending like the workplace was perfect. Change is uncomfortable. We made it more humane, more balanced, and yes, a little more complicated. Because progress always is.

Call it ruin if you want. I call it revolution.