Clever Women?

As it's a rainy, windy day, here's a picture of the gatehouse at Lanhydrock - in summer climes.

I was talking to a friend I haven’t seen for ages last night, and asked about her love life. “I haven’t had a man around for a while,” she said. “I’ve come to the conclusion that men don’t like clever women.”

She is clever, and has a fairly public job, so I can see why some men might not like it if she’s having to do lots of public engagements.

That got me thinking, as a friend described me as clever the other night. I’d always thought of clever people as being very well educated and knowledgeable (neither of which I am), so I did a quick check. According to the dictionary, clever is defined as “mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence; able.” So perhaps I am a bit.

But that got me thinking – Pip wasn’t intimidated by bright women as he liked a challenge. In fact, the worst thing he could say about someone was, “she’s not very bright”.

So I asked my other friend how he felt about clever women. “I love them,” he said. “I’m sparked off by clever minds. I like independent women, those I can discuss things with, women who think outside the box.”

I asked him why he thought some men didn’t like bright women. “I think because a lot of men aren’t very clever,” was his surprising reply.

Judging by my male friends, I’ve noticed that those men who feel comfortable with women and are secure enough in their own abilities, don’t feel threatened by able women.

But of course it’s never as simple as that. What do you think?