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"\n\tAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below\n\t\n\n\n\nThis Sunday, a New York Times\u00A0opinion piece declared that men need women\u2014because we apparently make them more generous and empathetic.The article talks about couple studies, notably one that finds that guys who have sisters are less self-serving and another that says male CEOs were more likely to pay their employees more if they have daughters. Being surrounded by women, i.e. the more delicate sex, softens men up, researchers believe.Um, really?!Of course, the idea that women can be a positive influence on men is nothing new: Other studies have shown that married guys tend to be healthier\u2014largely in part because their wives encourage them to see the doctor, eat better and so on.And, hey, we'll take all the credit we can get for influencing our male counterparts for the better. But at the same time, we can't help but wonder if this research also tends to generalize women as \"soft\" \u2014certainly there are many ladies who are totally not. (And, on the flip side, there are definitely guys who are.)Sweeping oversimplifications like this can be a bit problematic, especially in how they might reinforce gender stereotypes. (Especially because it can hard to really isolate causality in these types of studies\u2014are women really the mitigating factor here?)Another thing we take issue with: The outdated saying, \"behind every great man stands a great woman,\" that appears at the end of the article. Isn't it about time we retire this phrase\u2014which assumes that women passively help guys achieve their dreams, then are destined to watch them from the sidelines?Still, if you want to claim responsibility for your guy being an all-around better person, have at it. Though, just know that he probably deserves from credit for making you better, too.Want more from Natasha? Follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.Photo: Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a14444/women-make-men-generous/>