Quirkyalone

Reyhan Harmanci, who served as second-in-command of the quirkyalone movement several years ago, wrote a great piece exposing the flimsy research behind the recent spate of trend stories about women in today’s Chronicle:“Next time you read about ‘what women want,’ check the research — it’s likely to be flimsy.”The recent triend of stories in the NY Times. 60 Minutes, and elsewhere claim that there’s an epidemic of educated women who can’t get a date, and that when highly educated women get married and have kids, they leave the workplace in droves.

Sound familiar? In Quirkyalone, I highlighted the lthe memorable scare story from the 1980s when a flawed Yale study splashed all over Newsweek and every other magazine told women that they had a better chance of getting killed by a terrorist than getting married after 40. Reyhan’s piece explores why these trend stories become a trend in themselves, and are often based on anecdote rather than evidence.

Related posts:

1. Thanks for the anxiety, Lori
2. Rethinking the Marriage Crunch
3. Quirkyalones Wanted for Character Research
4. Taking the Tyranny of Coupledom Down a Notch