I don't deny that they haven't done that great (though I don't think I'm as unhappy with their women characters, and the way they handle them, as some fans are).

But I object to the idea that I keep running across in the fandom -- that hiring women is a panacea for the show's problems in that area. Heck, I can point you at scads of female fanfic writers who don't write women well at all!

I think writers of either gender can write either gender well, as long as they are keen observers of human nature and are willing to learn from their mistakes. The show doesn't need female writers so much as it needs more nuanced and introspective writers.