They're probably "as good as", and in the case of links, RJ implied in Q&A they were.

It's all about saidin/saidar mechanics.

It's not about the amount of power, it's about the "size" of the connection to the TS. A woman can handle control of 13 mental connections to the TS (but each mind not really being actively in control and the leader not able to addition their control over the Power, the circle leader can access this way only a percentage of their full strength safely. Beyond thirteen connections, the connection to saidar is too vast/too numerous. It's probably possible to keep adding more women to the circle, but the leader would incapable to work anymore (like Nynaeve was when she initated the bond with Rand, unable to use it herself): when she tries to guide saidar, it would escape her and the connection to the TS just winks out. She needs a buffer, minds/a mind trained to subconsciously grab and hold the OP for her, because a woman can only guide. That's what a man/men in her circle provide - a buffer so she can use saidin safely (she guides it like saidar, the men's minds in the circles "hold" it for her): how much saidin she can draw from the circle, and how much/how easily she can achieve something with it is probably determined by the balance of men/women in the circle. The more men involved, the more the female leader will be able to control saidin.

If someone followed that theory, he could probably puzzle out most of the linking rules, because we have enough to, I think.

For instance, we know 1 female mind is enough buffer for a male channeler to be able to use saidar safely, but he doesn't have that much control over it (even accounting for Rand's lack of skills, there's probably a natural limit even for skilled men).

We know 1 female mind/connection is equal to the buffer of a female angreal, and probably to the buffer of a male angreal too. It's enough to prevent another woman to draw too much saidar, it's enough to prevent a man from drawing too much saidin and saidar.


One male mind is not enough to allow a woman to safely handle saidin and saidar. To do that, she needs another woman to buffer her.

Two female minds are equal to the buffer or a powerful san'angreal for saidin. But it's already too large a connection to saidar in relation to the saidin for a man control the link.

The basic rule seems to be: A man can lead a circle where up to 50% of the connection is to saidar, a woman can lead a circle when the saidar connections form above 50% of the global connection to the TS, possibly she actually needs a 66% saidar proportions of "saidar connections" (this could be happenstance, because the smallest working proportion is 1/3 to 2/3, but possibly this decreases closer to 50/50 as mixed gender circles grow in size).

The rest is a matter of optimizing the level of control vs. the need for strength (the mixed gender type of strength, not the raw strength). The lowest the saidin proportion (of minds, not of quantities of power), the greater the precision of a female leader. The greater the proportion of saidin, the more powerful her work but the less precise it becomes. Same for a man, he can either try to increase the precision of his work through linking (low proportion of women) or massively increase the strength of his work (near 50% of women).

It sounds like the "Bore trio" will be very optimal: 66% of women will provide Nynaeve with great precision with saidar, and the male san'angreal will provide her with a massive quantity of saidin Rand's mind will let her control. She will be able to make extremely precise saidar weaves, using massive amounts of saidin essentially for boosting strength (nothing fancy as weaving of saidin goes). If she adds Moiraine's "near san'angreal" to the mix..Nynave might well perform the greatest OP deed of the whole series. Nynave's precision will be much, much greater than Rand could achieve at the Cleansing. Not that he needed great precision, the Cleansing circle was all a matter of strength and stamina.