Alpha Women, Beta Men
I have chosen to analyze and interpret the article Alpha Women, Beta Men, which we read in connection with our “Modern Love” -theme
The text is a feature article written by columnist, Ralph Gardner Jr.
It was printed in New York Magazine on the 17th of November 2003.

In my analysis I will focus on his use of rhetorical methods, such as ethos and logos, and how he convinces us of his claim. I’m also going to focus a lot on how and why this topic is still so pertinent, maybe more now than ever.

The article tackles the subject of women out-earning their husbands as Gardner puts it.
He speaks to four different women, who all are the breadwinners of their families.
The text is written to inform us about this upcoming trend, you can call it. More and more women are earning more that their husbands, and it reportedly, usually has unhappy consequences in the home. The women talk about their different situations
In his quest to inform us, Gardner appeals to both logos and ethos.
He appeals to logos in the way that he refers to facts from previous studies, such as “In 2001, for example, wives earned more than their spouses in almost a third of married households where the wife worked.” Of course, he doesn’t tell us where he has this information from, so we should still be critical, but since we, after looking at his career, can see that he has written for many big newspapers and magazines, we can assume that he has his facts straight.
The way that he appeals to ethos is when he refers to multiple psychologists, divorce attorneys, who agree with his statement. It’s makes it legit and not just an unsupported claim.

To support his claim, you can also say that the women he speaks of are “experts” in the field, since they have up close and personal experience. You may say it’s a stretch to call it a use of ethos, but in this case, I would say that it’s appropriate.

My interpretation of the text, or what I would say is the hidden meaning of the text, is that we haven’t come as far on the path to gender equality as we think. We think that since women aren’t confined to the kitchen anymore, that we are close, but the reality is that we are just about as far from the kitchen-confined-housewives, as we are from complete gender equality.
Women may be able to work the same jobs, for the same pay, as men, but the stigma is still there.
It’s not just hard on the relationships; it’s hard on the women. Why is it not an issue that the men make more money than their wives? Why don’t we see articles written about that? Because it’s a given. Men are, according to society, supposed to make more money than their spouses.
We are still brought up on the classic fairytale story with the princes and princesses; the hero and the damsel in distress. The illusion, the fairytale, that men are the stronger sex who goes out and brings food home for the family, is alive and well. But know that women are just as capable to do that as men, we realize that no matter how equal we think we are, we might never be perceived as a species where both genders are completely equal. As long as equality or lack thereof is still the talk of the town, or the world for that matter, we will never be equal.
Equality comes when it is no longer spoken of. When it is just a given fact.

In conclusion I would say that this text tackles an important issue, and that it is clear that he is right in the way that it still is a problem. But the way that he portrays it is definitely not the way to speak about this. We don’t have to consider the men’s feelings. They have been the “superior sex” for long enough now. I don’t believe that women should have more power or money than men. I just demand that gender isn’t taken into account when the money and power is distributed.

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[ 1 ]. Quote: Alpha Women, Beta Men - Page 1, last line, “Yet this proud professional achievement often seems to have unhappy consequences at home.”
[ 2 ]. Quote: Alpha Women, Beta Men - Page 1, line 20