The New York Times dared to ask: Did women ruin the workplace? Well, let’s dance on some of those smoking ruins

National

Sexism

Opinion

Here I am, yet another woman wrecking the joint

Julia Baird Journalist, broadcaster, historian and author November 15, 2025 — 5.00am

Have you heard? Women have been on the march, wrecking stuff with horrible traits like empathy.

I’ve been so busy ruining things that I barely had time to file this column. But then if I didn’t, I’d be passing up the opportunity to ruin this page again. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of destroying the places where I toil, which is possibly why I may have been the only person actually delighted to see The New York Times run a headline asking: “Did women ruin the workplace?”

After all, I’m so ancient I remember the workplaces I first walked into as a teenager, where smoke stained the ceilings, personal assist