It would be years before I understood this as little more than a base strategy in which a man creates the semblance of a hierarchy within a group of women or girls by making one of them feel “picked”. But I was 14, and my child self thought this was love at first sight.
Read MorePeople frequently ask me: Should we pay for emotional labor? That question is often posed provocatively, as if anything except a negative answer would be absurd. But my answer has grown only firmer over time: Yes. We should definitely pay for emotional labor. And we should do so not only on ethical grounds but also because it is the best way to create adaptive, high-functioning workplaces.
Read MoreLast week, I read an article published in the Wall Street Journal claiming that marriage was on the decline because of men’s cheap access to sex.
The argument of the article, by sociologist Mark Regnerus, didn’t go much further than the age-old adage: nobody will buy the cow if you’re giving away the milk for free. Regnerus is affiliated with a conservative, Christian thinktank in Texas that local news once dubbed the “no-sex” institute.
Read MoreWe remember children’s allergies, we design the shopping list, we know where the spare set of keys is. We multi-task. We know when we’re almost out of Q-tips, and plan on buying more. We are just better at remembering birthdays. We love catering to loved ones, and we make note of what they like to eat. We notice people’s health, and force friends and family to go see the doctor.
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