Forget the Sisterhood

"It's dead," writes Margaret Wente in the Globe and Mail today.  Yes folks, the Sisterhood is definitely dead.  Why?  Because it didn't do anything for women except make them envious of men.  And, by the way, none of the "sisters" morphed into men.  They simply created a pathetic ghetto and stayed in it.

Wente was writing about the "alpha woman", elite, highly-educated, independent and closing in on the heels of -- or passing -- the most successful men anywhere.  In fact, this class of woman has pretty much surpassed your average guy and has definitely pulled ahead of any "sister" you'd care to mention.  In this class are women such as Hillary Clinton and Beverley McLachlin -- and many other less-famous characters in all walks of life.  "Alpha females make up 15 - 20 percent of women in the developed world, enough to exert a lot of clout.  Every field is open to them.  But the world hasn't evolved as feminists foresaw.  These woman have far more in common with alpha men that they do with the other 80 or 85 percent of the female population," says Wente. 

She's right, of course.  I have never bought into the "sisterhood".  I have always competed with men.  I often won.  But was I any less a wife and mother?  Absolutely not.  I take great pride in both those roles.  Apparently, alpha women are dedicated women who...."do everything to make sure their children have the same opportunities they've had".  They are also intensive, super-conscientious parents who invest huge time and resources in their children.  Yes we do. 

"People wonder why alpha women don't choose to marry househusbands.  The answer is simple:  Women don't like to marry down.  Successful women want men who are as high(ly)-achieving as they, especially as fathers of their children.  The truth is that no matter how open-minded we think we are, most of us secretly regard men without paid work as slackers."

I have news for Wente, alpha women also regard women without paid work as slackers.

"Less-educated women are still more likely to drop out of work when they have their kids and after that, they'd rather work part time.  They're far more likely to have children out-of-wedlock and be divorced.  Alpha women stay in school longer, marry later, postpone kids until they're over 30 and don't stop working when they become mothers.  Even so, they spend more time with their kids than less-educated mothers."

Hear, hear.  Hurrah for the alpha woman.