The Alpha Girls

The German newsweekly Der Spiegel has the topic of "Alpha-Mädchen", alpha girls, on its cover this week. Sheesh, they can't even do this without being condescending and calling us "girls". Isn't online yet, so I shall have to go out an purchase it, I suppose.

After the G8 conference many journalists discovered that our chancelor (who happens to be a woman) was actually capable of running the show, and she was clearly the dominant person while speaking with the little boys Putin and Bush. Gosh. Maybe women can run countries after all.

My favorite English-language magazine Ex-Berliner has commentary on the same topic this month: My Mom looks like Angela Merkel. Konrad Werner decides that "menopausal German women are the best demographic group in the world for running countries." So there you have it. Don't know if I prefer "menopausal" or "older". How about just "experienced"?

I was at my old college for the "Long University Night" (a rather crazy Berlin-wide university open house at night which is so popular, it is in its ninth year) and met up with lots of women colleagues during the hour or so I was there. They just had elections, the two female vice-presidents were confirmed in their positions, they've hired some more women professors and are doing a pretty good job at attracting women students. As one of the VPs said to me: Us wimmen are on our way up.

Watch out, guys, we are alphas now, too!