pete socially and be popular and yet not be emotionally “all that
invested.”
Athena women plan ahead. Most give considerable thought to
what they will do after high school. If such a woman is financially
able to go on to college, she will have thought about the colleges
available to her and will have chosen wisely for herself. Even if her
family cannot help her to go to college, she will usually find a way
to work her way through with scholarships or financial aid. The
equivalent of a female Horatio Alger is almost always an Athena
woman.
Most Athena women find college liberating. Having chosen a
school that is right for them because of its educational offerings and
the makeup of the student body, they plunge in, freer to be them-
selves than was possible in high school. Typically, Athena women
choose coeducational schools because of their compatibility with
and high regard for men.
WORK
The Athena woman intends to make something of herself. She
works hard toward that end, accepts reality as it is, and adapts. Thus
the adult years are usually productive ones for her. In the world of
power and achievement, her use of strategy and logical thinking
show her kinship with Athena. In the home, she excels in the domest-
ic arts (also Athena’s realm), using her practical mind and aesthetic
eye to run an efficient household.
If the Athena girl must go directly from high school to work, she
often prepares for this necessity by taking business education courses
and summer jobs that present good opportunities. Athena women
do not play Cinderella; they do not wait to be rescued through
marriage. Fantasizing that “Someday my prince will come” is foreign
to an Athena woman’s style.
If she marries and runs a household, she is usually an efficient
manager. Whether for shopping, laundry, or housekeeping, she has
a system that works. In the kitchen, for example, everything is
probably in place. No one needs to teach an Athena woman about
a flow chart—organization comes naturally to her. She usually plans
shopping for the week ahead,
Goddesses in Everywoman