Imagine waking up one day and all of the
women in the world had just disappeared.
All but one.
Maybe the only woman left on Earth is you.
Whether you're the only woman,
or one of the many guys,
Would this last woman have all the power,
or none?
That is a great question.
The first reaction would be grief.
Everyone would have lost someone.
There would also be chaos.
Women make up 47% of the workforce
in the U.S.,
and if they all skipped one day of work
at the same time,
the U.S. economy would lose
approximately $21 billion dollars.
That’s just one day.
If you’re a man,
you might have to step up your game
in skills that are stereotyped as ‘women’s work.'
While women are working away from the home more than ever,
with 29% of married women in the U.S.
making more money than their husbands,
women still take on more household duties.
Child-rearing, cooking, and cleaning
are tasks many women are still expected to perform
because of gender-stereotypes.
while only 65% of men do the same.
But without women around,
all those tasks would fall on your shoulders.
That would be a steep learning curve for some men.
You’d also have no female companionship.
Just pause and think about that for a moment.
You’d be surrounded by other men all of the time.
Your friendships and family structure would change.
Strict gender norms might begin to dissolve
because men would have to take on all roles.
And your love life would definitely take a hit.
It would be lonely.
you could have plenty of male friends
and as many dates as you wanted,
but no female companionship to balance things out.
You’d also have to repopulate the world.
If you had 20 years of fertility left,
then there would only be 20 new humans in 20 years.
Giving birth every year would become your life's work.
Probably not so enjoyable!
It would be much quicker to harvest your eggs
and use artificial wombs to repopulate the planet.
This process is called ectogenesis.
In April of 2017, researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
announced they had developed an artificial womb they called a biobag.
This biobag was successful in animal trials using lambs.
Scientists in the Netherlands claim
they are 10 years away from creating an
artificial womb suitable for human babies.
But so far,
these biobags are only feasible
for prematurely born babies.
The initial gestation,
or the very beginning of a baby's development in a womb,
still has to be within the mother’s womb.
Having only one woman left on earth
would motivate scientists to develop a usable artificial womb.
While there are many ethical questions around ectogenesis,
in this extreme situation it might be our best hope.
And, it would relieve you,
the only woman on Earth,
from the physical exertion and risk of repeated pregnancies.
But as the last woman,
would you have more power or less?
You would be the only person on the planet
who could produce new life,
that’s a pretty powerful position.
But you’d be the only one who could speak up for your gender,
which means your opinion could easily be out-voted,
maybe leaving you feeling very oppressed,
misunderstood,
and a little more than angry.
Every single birth would be an international celebration,
especially if the newborn is a female.
And those kids, as they grow up,
would be the ultimate celebrities.
But it could also be dangerous for females
as they begin to come of age.
The effect of this has been a rise in violence,
human trafficking, prostitution,
and depression.
We would have to make sure
any repopulation effort would prioritize
the safety of all females born globally.
The world would likely be a difficult
and lonely place without women.
So take a moment to consider how important
and strong
the women in your life are.
Let’s face it,
we’d have a much easier time if there was
only one man left on earth!
But that’s a story for another What If.