At a dinner-party in Italy, from which country I have now returned, a question came up. This was, are women really bitchier than men, and, if so, why, when their behaviour can be so much more exemplary? For some reason this question was addressed to me. I hadn’t recalled, alas, saying a bad word about anyone that evening, but perhaps as the only female journalist present I was rashly considered by the others as some sort of oracle with regard to members of my sex.
The women sitting around me were surprisingly quick to agree with my rather obvious assertion that, yes, most intelligent women had sharper tongues than men and that their conversation was often much racier. Naturally, the men present were delighted to hear their long-held grievances confirmed, but wondered, given that their own sex had been responsible for most of the atrocities in the world, how this should be so?
I think the answer is both biological and social.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in