If you look at how people used to talk about female leadership or influence even ten years ago, it was always so narrow. You had the "Girl Boss" era where everyone was supposed to wear a blazer and act like a shark, or the "tradwife" resurgence that tries to pin women back into a 1950s kitchen. It’s exhausting. Honestly, those boxes are too small. The real strength we're seeing today isn't about picking one lane; it's about the variety power of women and how that multifaceted nature actually drives innovation in ways a single-minded approach just can't touch.
Women aren't a monolith. Obviously.
But when we talk about variety power of women, we’re looking at the unique ability to navigate vastly different roles—caregiver, CEO, community builder, creative—simultaneously. It’s not just "multitasking." That’s a corporate buzzword for being busy. This is different. It’s about cognitive diversity.
The Science of Multi-Role Competence
Let’s get into the weeds for a second. There is this concept in sociology called "role accumulation." For a long time, researchers thought having too many roles caused nothing but stress. They called it role strain. But then folks like Professor Peggy Thoits started looking deeper. They found that for many, having a variety of roles actually provides more resources, social support, and a sense of identity that protects against failure in any one single area.
Women often live at the intersection of these roles.
Think about a woman who manages a household, leads a marketing team, and volunteers for a local non-profit. If work goes south one day, her identity as a mother or a community leader keeps her grounded. This isn’t just fluff; it’s emotional resilience. This variety power of women creates a buffer against the burnout that often hits people who put 100% of their identity into a single career path.
Cognitive Flexibility and the Female Brain
We've all heard the myths about brain differences. Let's be clear: there’s no such thing as a "pink" or "blue" brain in a way that limits ability. However, studies in the journal Cerebral Cortex have shown that female brains often exhibit higher levels of connectivity between the left and right hemispheres.
This helps explain the variety power of women in practical terms. It’s the ability to combine hard logic with high emotional intelligence (EQ). You’ve probably seen it in action—the manager who can analyze a spreadsheet for two hours and then immediately pivot to mediate a high-stakes interpersonal conflict between two coworkers. That switch isn't easy for everyone.
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Why Markets are Betting on Variety
The business world is finally catching up. They realized that "homogenous" thinking—where everyone in the room has the same background and the same way of solving problems—is a recipe for bankruptcy.
Look at the venture capital space. Firms like First Round Capital found that founding teams with at least one woman performed 63% better than all-male teams. Why? It’s not magic. It’s the variety power of women bringing in different market perspectives. They see gaps in the market that men literally don't notice because they don't live those lives.
Take the Sarah Blakely story with Spanx. She didn't have a background in fashion or retail. she was selling fax machines. But she had the lived experience of needing a specific product that didn't exist. That variety of perspective—being both a consumer with a problem and a salesperson with grit—created a billion-dollar category.
The Problem With "Optimization"
We live in a world obsessed with niches. Everyone tells you to "pick a lane" and stay there.
But humans aren't meant to be specialized tools. We aren't screwdrivers.
When women lean into their variety, they become "generalists" in the best sense of the word. David Epstein wrote a whole book called Range about why generalists triumph in a specialized world. He argues that people who have diverse experiences are better at "abstract integration"—basically, they can take a solution from one field and apply it to a completely different one. This is the variety power of women in its purest form.
Real Examples of the Variety Power of Women
You see this in the arts, too. Look at someone like Dolly Parton. People sometimes dismiss her because of the "rhinestones and big hair" persona, but that’s just one layer. She’s a savvy business mogul who owns an empire, a prolific songwriter with over 3,000 credits, and a philanthropist whose "Imagination Library" has mailed over 200 million books to kids.
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She doesn't choose one. She uses the variety of her skills to build a brand that is untouchable.
Then there’s Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett. She’s a viral immunologist who was a lead scientist in developing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. But she’s also a powerful communicator who spent her "free" time during the pandemic talking to hesitant communities to build trust. Her variety power—the ability to be a world-class scientist and a relatable community advocate—saved lives. If she had stayed "just" in the lab, the impact would have been smaller.
The Economic Impact of Diverse Roles
The McKinsey Global Institute has been shouting this from the rooftops for years: advancing women’s equality could add $12 trillion to global GDP. But that only happens if we value the variety power of women instead of forcing them to "act like men" to get promoted.
When workplaces allow for flexible hours or recognize the skills learned in "unpaid" roles (like caregiving or community organizing), they tap into a massive reservoir of talent.
Overcoming the "Jack of All Trades" Myth
There’s an old saying: "A jack of all trades is a master of none." People love to use that to discourage women from being too many things at once.
But they usually leave off the second half of the quote. The full version is: "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one."
Isn't that the truth?
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In a world that changes as fast as ours—where AI is rewriting job descriptions every six months—being a "master of one" is actually dangerous. If your one skill becomes obsolete, you're stuck. But if you have the variety power of women, you are adaptable. You have a "portfolio" of skills and identities.
How to Harness Your Own Variety Power
It starts with an audit. Stop looking at your "hobbies" or "side roles" as distractions. They are assets.
- Stop compartmentalizing. If you’re a great negotiator at home with your kids, use those same de-escalation tactics in the boardroom.
- Seek "Cross-Training" opportunities. If you work in tech, take a weekend pottery class or join a local board. The neural pathways you build in one area will spark ideas in the other.
- Ignore the "Niche" pressure. You don't have to have a perfectly curated Instagram feed that only shows one side of you. Show the mess and the variety. It’s more relatable and, frankly, more effective.
The Future is Multifaceted
We are moving away from the era of the "specialist" and into the era of the "integrator."
The variety power of women is the ultimate tool for this shift. It’s the ability to see the world not as a series of silos, but as a web of connections. It’s about being a scientist who understands poetry, a mother who understands macroeconomics, and a leader who understands empathy.
This isn't just about "having it all"—that's another trap. It’s about being it all.
When we stop apologizing for having "too many interests" or "too many roles," we unlock a level of influence that is both sustainable and incredibly impactful. The variety power of women isn't a burden to be managed; it’s a competitive advantage to be celebrated.
Actionable Steps to Leverage Your Range
- Map your "Shadow Skills." Write down three things you’re good at that have nothing to do with your job title. Are you great at organizing events? Are you a "human lie detector" who can read people’s moods? These are your variety power multipliers.
- Mix your circles. Once a month, grab coffee with someone who has a completely different life than yours. A different industry, a different age group, a different background. This expands your mental "variety" database.
- Reject the "Polished" Narrative. When someone asks what you do, don't just give them your LinkedIn headline. Mention a personal project or a skill you're developing. It invites more interesting connections and opportunities.
The world is complicated. It’s messy. It’s fast. To survive and thrive in it, you need more than one gear. You need the full spectrum. You need the variety power that comes from embracing every part of who you are, without permission and without apology.