ABSTRACT
Polls in the early 21st century suggested that women favored globalization more than men did, though admittedly by a small margin. Exchanges that encouraged more education for women, or provided it directly as students moved across national boundaries, were one example of the many areas where, superficially at least, wide international agreement prevailed. Developments in places like Japan or Latin America might have initially owed some impetus to the example of Western standards, but they were often soon internalized. The ongoing development of women’s education or political roles would no longer be a response to the West, but part of a larger process of regional adaptation. By the early 21st century, in some regions at least, gender distinctions were becoming less important—possibly than at any other time in human history. In many advanced industrial societies, work roles became increasingly gender-neutral.
