[hammerdr]

We may disagree on the degree to the 'helpfulness' of diversity; essential may have been too strong of a word. I think that diversity is 'essential' in that we cannot solve problems as well as we could without it.

I agree with you that diversity of experience is the key ingredient of diversity. Superficial diversity can actually be harmful. However, I would argue that men and women have the most disparate experiences between the most common classifications of people.