Female Supremacy Articles - Page 26

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Since graduating from university four years ago, I have come to dread the question: "What do you do?" When I tell people I'm a juggler, I get blank stares, though they usually realise I'm not a circus performer.

But when I try to explain that I'm an actress, writer, violinist, charity administrator and political adviser, I'm then asked the most dreaded question of all: "So when are you going to make up your mind which one to do?"

Actually, I'm not sure I ever will, even though people will always try to pigeon-hole me – and all other juggling women out there – as one thing or another.

This bothers me because I suspect that when it comes to multi-tasking women, something deeply hypocritical is at work in society.

Although females are acknowledged to be good at performing multiple activities (not only can we cook and have a conversation at the same time, we can even hold down careers and be mothers), when smart women of a certain background try to multi-task professionally they get lambasted for it.

They're labelled "Superwomen" or "Alpha Females", for which read ruthless bitches.

The curious inverted snobbery that underpins such attitudes can be evinced by a trip down the High Street.

At Waterstone's, you will find a slew of female "celebrity" memoirs with such edifying titles as Living The Dream.

At Boots you'll find the same girls and their eponymous perfumes.