I found an interesting passage from an article about social animals:

"Because males are often the so-called dispersing sex, while females stay behind in the support network of family kin, females form the political backbone among many social mammals; the longer-lived the species, the denser and more richly articulated that backbone is likely to be."

Why is it, then, that women are often criticized for job-searching in their local community rather than accepting jobs that require relocation? As a post-grad, there seems to be the idea that committed, career-minded individuals will move across the country on the whim of an employer. But for women searching to maximize their influence, a large network of contacts and support might be more valuable than the "perfect job."

Also, if women have more influence because they maintain stable communities, shouldn't we see more women in politics?

Here's the article from the NY Times, if you'd like to read the whole thing.