In my books, women often solve the problem. Even if the woman is not the hero, she's a strong character. She does change the plot. She'll often rescue the male character from some situation.
“When we did the sign outside, we did not do the cigarette or the mug of beer because it was going to be outside. I wasn't sure if the city would object.”
“Without Social Security, poverty rates for African American seniors would more than double.”