The Best of Both Worlds

Hakim: When you try to explain why men chase prestige, honor, money, glory, authority, and status more than women, some would argue that testosterone comes into it. People with high testosterone are power hungry and aggressive and dominant and apparently also sexually attractive to the opposite sex. That sort of biological difference may explain why men are more driven to public recognition of success than women. Women, on the other hand, find they can get recognition in the private sphere at home with children, and that may make them less interested in chasing success in the public sphere. You could argue these differences both socially and biologically.

FC: On the other hand, aren't there benefits to men from having wives in the executive suite?

Hakim: Men who have a high-earning wives are now able to say, "I want to quit my corporate job and start up a business. Even though income from that may be patchy for the first couple years, I can do it that because my wife has a regular job." Men are beginning to see that there can be advantages in the life choices and career choices that their wives have had.