Columnist: Rendell exposes 'singlism' bias

Gail Collins, writing in The New York Times, says Gov. Ed Rendell's remarks about Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano having "no life" because she is unmarried and has no children, is another example of "singlism," a bias directed mostly toward women.

Condoleezza Rice is another example of a woman who lives for her job, Collins notes. She also mentions Ralph Nader as the token male political figure who does not have family responsibilities.

From her column:

But it's unmarried women at the top who often wind up portrayed as vestal virgins who live only to serve their chief executive. (Condoleezza Rice's public image is so extreme that people must be wondering if she plans to immolate herself on the White House lawn during the inauguration.) Instead of being celebrated for their achievements, they wind up regarded as slightly fanatic.

And single women comprise between 43 percent and 51 percent of the adult women in the country, depending on how you count. They are universally regarded as folks with time on their hands, and thus the most likely recruits for taking care of aged parents, adjusting their schedules to accommodate their married friends and working overtime. "Employers ask you to cover for everyone else," said Bella DePaulo, the author of "Singled Out."

Read the full column at the newspaper's Web site.