Times to Smart Women: Give Up Now

No matter how you feel about Maureen Dowd, the following excerpt from her column last week is disturbing:

A second study, which was by researchers at four British universities and reported last week, suggested that smart men with demanding jobs would rather have old-fashioned wives, like their mums, than equals. The study found that a high I.Q. hampers a woman's chance to get married, while it is a plus for men. The prospect for marriage increased by 35 percent for guys for each 16-point increase in I.Q.; for women, there is a 40 percent drop for each 16-point rise.

"Men Just Want Mommy," 1/13/05. [via Jenny Narcoleptikov]

Mo's thesis is that because men feel that smart women in successful jobs are more likely to cheat on them, their evolutionary instincts steer them away for fear that they may, some day, be raising another man's children. Instead, they want "caretaking" women, like their personal assistants and PR people.

Couple this column with David Brooks' last doozy (Here comes David Brooks! Good ol' David Brooks...yes sir! Good ol' David Brooks...how I hate him*), which says women would be smarter to start their careers after their "most fertile" years, so that they wouldn't be stuck ruing their childlessness in their forties. ("Empty Nests, and Hearts," 1/15/2005). Of course, this would mean women would have to work longer before they could retire, and enter the job market with 10 fewer years of experience than their male peers. What a boon to professional women, this idea! He has saved us from having "empty hearts." Jump in your Escalade, drive on out to the exurb where David Brooks lives, and give him a foot massage to show your gratitude, ladies!

* Who gets it? Come on, C., you know this one.

Posted by jess at January 17, 2005 10:35 AM