Editor’s Note: This article is part of a larger series of Q&As that originated in the future-focused UD Magazine. To see additional questions, please visit the Envisioning the Future website.

Research consistently highlights unique contributions that women make to organizations, businesses and politics — overall bringing more focus on collaboration, conflict resolution, greater integration of work and life, and attention to family and children. More women in senior positions in their organizations leads to enhanced working conditions and increased financial performance. More women participating in global peace processes leads to a greater likelihood that agreements will last over time. A world with gender equity would mean a better world for all.

A world with gender equity might also mean a world where we see a greater integration of the self and the community. Increasingly, we are asked to segment our lives between work and home — a divide that has resulted in tremendous stress and anxiety as people struggle to balance the competing demands of both. Research suggests that women, who bear increased responsibility for family and domestic demands, feel this tug acutely. Fortunately, women are leading the charge to rethink this reductionist separation of selves and reinvasion a world where our work is integrated with our communities to help them grow stronger.

Wendy Smith is a University of Delaware professor of management and co-director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at UD.