Women aren’t stupid. After getting passed over for raises and promotions enough times, they learn that hard work and smart thinking don’t really pay off. Maybe they should focus on family life. After getting turned down for loans or backing enough times, they learn that it doesn’t pay to try and expand aggressively. Maybe a little niche business is a better bet. At a certain point, women learn to build what they can and not unrealistically expect a real career, recognition, credit or any of those other things.

Every time they do one of those studies with resumes, proposals, papers, performances or other such evaluations, a masculine name is worth dozens of points as opposed to a feminine name. This is one piece of sociological research that does not have a replication problem. It’s largely cross cultural too. Wow, all those women shafted by their parent’s life style choice of giving their daughter a girl’s name.

There is no glass ceiling. It’s more a vicious current that women have to fight against and men don’t. I’m a man, and even I could see the crap my female colleagues had to put up with. Once, when I suggested two possible women for a team, I was called on it. No, I wasn’t trying to create a feminist army; they were both good programmers and both free at the right time. I won’t talk about the garbage my girlfriend had to put up with, especially since she was the only one in her group bringing in new business and not getting invited to division meetings.

It’s not that women are playing a different game. It’s that they are playing it at a different level. White men get the easy mode. Women get the extra minions with bigger blasters shooting at them and the tougher boss fights right up front. It’s a life style choice.