HG: I agree. And it's not likely to happen any time soon. But I can say that individual women can share the same traits as men. When dealing with people in positions of power, the common denominator seems to be politics and being a politician, not gender. Of course that may be because women in politics have to be able to act like men to get ahead, I don't know.

Doug: I think men are swell!

But in regard to my political views re: women (which is what I'm guessing you are refering to), I live in a society that is fundamentally hostile to women while patting itself on the back for being so progressive. And even though most individuals I encounter are not overtly or consciously sexist, when placed in groups both men and women play out roles in which are inherently prejudicial to women.

For example, it would be unthinkable for drugs that treat prostate problems to be excluded from health plans, yet many plans don't cover HRT or birth control pills. They'll charge a woman between 20-40 twice the rate for health insurance because she could have a baby, and they'll pay for $40,000 worth of maternity care... but not cover common birth control methods. A woman who is pregnant will be denied medical coverage, but the man who got her pregnant will not.

Now, I could go on about THAT subject for a long time... maybe another thread. But to come back to politics and women in positions of powers --

Hillary was reviled because she dared have an opinion -- First Ladies always pick a "cause." If she had picked some safe, female cause like teaching kids to read, no one would have accused her of interfering in government. Instead, she picked a thorny, critical issue like health care and was taking insults before she made her first proposal.