The other idea that is kicking around and still bothering me is that women who go to top schools are traitors and resource squanders if they don't become law partner or doctors. My sister has a BA from Georgetown and a MA from Columbia. She's is not earning a salary at the moment. Who the fuck cares? When did our worth as people come down to our pay stubs?

Education costs money, and while the NYT-wedding-announcement crowd has always had access to it as both a meet market and a finishing school, we as a society don't actually profess to subsidize education primarily as a path to self-actualization. There's an essential conflict between capitalism and feminism -- at least the "difference" or"choice" variety of feminism -- in that tangible returns on investments are expected, and giving a slight edge to future offspring isn't all that concrete a goal. In all honesty, even an old lefty like me isn't particularly interested in helping middle-class women get degrees that might be of more practical use in lifting poorer women out of poverty.