‘Masculine energy’ is costing companies billions

And that’s just the monetary price.

[Photo: Joe Shields/Unsplash]

In January 2025, Mark Zuckerberg told podcaster Joe Rogan that the corporate world needed more “masculine energy” and a culture that “celebrates the aggression a bit more.” Twenty months later, the political movement he was courting looks much weaker. Donald Trump’s average approval rating fell to 38% in September, the lowest of his second term. But the ideal Zuckerberg praised remains omnipresent in corporate America. Women lead 56 Fortune 500 companies this year, a record that still only amounts to 11.2% of the list. They hold 29% of C-suite roles, the same share as in 2024, according to McKinsey and LeanIn.org’s “Women in the Workplace” report. Bragging, shows of strength, and risk-taking get rewarded far beyond the military, while cooperation and caution continue to be seen as weakness.

The labor market is moving in the opposite direction. In 2025, private education and healthcare, where women hold 77% of jobs, added around 800,000 positions while all other sectors........

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