Work and Life - Helen Wilkinson

She lives in London's East End, in a building that once housed the Bryant & May matchstick factory. "A bit of synchronicity, isn't it?" she says. It is just that: The newspaper ad for the condo had touted its high ceilings and common swimming pool, but not its noteworthy pedigree. In 1888, social reformer Annie Besant inspired a watershed strike by 1,400 women workers at Bryant & May. After a boycott and union drive, the "matchgirls" triumphed -- striking a blow for organized labor and for women. Fast Company met with Wilkinson in her top-floor condo, which seems not so much historic as, well, disheveled. Just back from her year in America, she has not completely unpacked her life yet. But she unpacked her ideas about women, men, and families.

What is the "state of the union" between men and women?

We are in the midst of an historic shift in the relationship between men and women. It is neither subtle nor painless. It is quite striking: Attitudinally and behaviorally, at home and in the workplace, women and men have more in common with each other today than they do with women and men, respectively, of a generation ago. Our values and our lifestyles are converging. We are entering the age of androgyny.

We've seen two simultaneous transformations feeding off of each other and creating the need for a new kind of politics. First, of course, there was the popularization of feminism. The feminist logic began with the importance of individualism -- reflected culturally in the birth-control pill, changes in abortion law, and the outlawing of sexual discrimination. More important, though, was the flood of women into the labor force -- drawn not just by a need for a second income but by a desire for autonomy and the chance to create new identities through work. Women's participation in the labor force has reached 80%, and, increasingly, women are entering professions that were once the sole preserve of men.

At the same time, we've seen seismic economic changes swirling about. We have seen a shift from manufacturing to services, and to a knowledge economy that values brains more than it does brawn. As a result, many men -- particularly low-income men -- have dropped out of the labor market. Those who remain face the reality that, more and more, success at work depends on traditional feminine attributes, like flexibility and dexterity. Today's workplace values team-based networking and interpersonal skills. Skills that historically have been necessary to thrive in the private sphere -- skills like conflict resolution, communications, and juggling -- have suddenly acquired a premium in the public sphere. And as women have moved into the labor force, from the private to the public sphere, they've taken these skills with them.

Organizationally too, business is becoming more feminine. And it's not just the talk about family-friendly companies, flexible scheduling, or mentoring, all of which are targeted at female workers. Rigid hierarchies of control are giving way to management styles that combine tough control over some functions with much looser, more team-based approaches. The shift away from full-time employment and toward networks of contract workers and free agents itself implies a structure that's rooted in more feminine values.

The army (both in the United States and the UK) is an interesting example. The feminization of the army has been dramatic, because the army is the archetypal system of masculine order: It's based on tough, masculine work. But the history of the army in the past generation has been one of feminization. It has been forced to accept women and gays. And technology has changed the nature of warfare, which is now fought more by brain than by muscle. The military more often serves as a "peacekeeper" than as a war maker. So the old arguments of male superiority have disappeared, and the army talks about communications and negotiating as its key skills.

What does that shift mean for the women's agenda?

In a very real way, feminists have won the battle. We have witnessed the democratization of identity for women. However, it isn't about embracing so-called feminine characteristics, as traditional feminists would have it. Today's young women are more overtly masculinized than previous generations, more comfortable with male attributes, and reveling in ambition, drive, and success. Young women are seeking risk and excitement. A third of the women surveyed by Demos -- and a much higher number of younger women -- said that they wouldn't mind being reborn as a man. And my discussion groups with men and women in their twenties confirm that only a minority of people believe that there are innate differences between male and female managers and leaders.