RE: How much should workout programs for men and women differ?
Are you sure about the minimum? I would say three times a week consistently for 30 min to feel your body moving and all your muscles engaging. :)
About your second passage - well, few evenings ago I went to a yoga class (after doing yoga with youtube at home for several years), and heard why after so many years I had pain in my knees when performing triangle pose - because of weak quadriceps. There was a girl who never done yoga before, but went to the gym for years, and triangle pose was very easy for her. So I agree with you that a good strength is really basics.
And again about me - as I am not any professional, and as I get stressed by maybe-not-perfect decisions easily, I believe that for us usual people is probably best to combine different recreative activities. So, some woman working full time could go to yoga for a few months, then aerobic for a few months, then pilates, then maybe gym, then yoga again, then dance, etc. and that is how all those components (aerobic, anaerbic, stamina, flexibility, etc) are developed, as well as all the muscle groups. :)
Well, there is no strict minimum, but with regards to strength training, I believe that the minimum for noticeable results is 2-3 times per week, at least 2-3 months in a streak. Anything below that is rather inefficient because you need some consistency in order to get in a good strength training form and effectively reap the benefits.
Thank you for sharing the example about the benefits of gym training for yoga. Yes, I agree that for ordinary people it is the best to engage in different types of workouts and change them every couple of months or years. Cross-training is often practiced even by professional athletes. : )