A woman's world

In her latest book, Maureen Dowd asks the question: "Are men necessary?" This question stems from the belief that men have come to serve an "ornamental" purpose in the same way women once did. Plainly stated, men function merely as a woman's guilty pleasure.\nWhile men were once a key component to humankind's evolution, advancing medical technology has steadily pushed them to the sidelines. While they once were a family's primary source of income, women today see the benefits of having their own bank account separate from their partner's. And while men might provide their mates with a dose of sexual pleasure, well, there are other options for that, too.\nSimply, men are so last century.\nAn Australian scientific study has shown that men are becoming less necessary in terms of basic genetics and human evolution. The Y chromosome has lost so many genes throughout time that it could soon go out of business (not for about 10 million years, mind you, but it is still disappearing).\nAhh ... think how simple life would be if men were more like women.\nBut since this idea of a doomed Y chromosome is merely a theory, the next best supposition might just concur with Dowd's belief: Now that women no longer need men to reproduce and refinance, men aren't necessary. \nSometimes I think I could live without men. (With the exception of my father, of course. He doesn't count. On that note, Brad Pitt doesn't count either.) No more open toilet seat covers, no more Playboys, no more beer-filled refrigerators and most importantly, no more sleepless nights waiting for the phone to ring. Although it is hard to imagine life without the male sex -- the designated insect killers, garbage taker-outers and toilet plungers of the world -- women are proving themselves quite capable of making it on their own. \nBut for most women this success doesn't come without a price. Men seem threatened by female power. This explains Britney Spears' failing marriage to Kevin Federline. Kevin's efforts to play his previously recorded music were "greeted with hurtful laughter from his superstar wife, who was unimpressed," according to In Touch Weekly. Kevin can't live up to Britney's expectations and cannot rival her success. To ease his remorse, Kevin did the one thing he can do better than his wife (who is busy mothering their son): He went to a nightclub and partied hard until well after midnight.\nThe result of this "intimidation problem" is that successful men are "marrying down," desiring women who are younger and more malleable. For women, the equation is simple: Successful + Smart = Single. Just think of the typical upperclassman frat boy during the first week of school. What could be more exhilarating than a trip to the dorms to entice innocent, scantily clad, naïve freshman girls? \nWhat it all boils down to is that women and men have a love-hate relationship. Although men often repeat the phrase, "Women: can't live with them, can't live without them," I hate to break it to you boys, but the truth of the matter is that you can't afford to live without women. Barring massive cloning, women, I venture to say, will always be necessary for the evolution of humankind.