The androgynous zone

From "chick flicks" to Olympics coverage, American culture is becoming more and more feminized | Gene Edward Veith

Although this may still be "a man's world," women are winning the battle of the sexes when it comes to the culture.

Sports have always been a prime interest of men, but television coverage of the Winter Olympics, following the pattern set by the summer games, targeted women. Not only did figure skating beat up hockey in the ratings, but the coverage skewed away from the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat to "human-interest stories" about the athletes' lives, families, and the obstacles they had to overcome. The networks described their approach as appealing more to women. (Watch for this same approach to be used in the upcoming seasons of baseball and football, as networks try to find a way to make money from the budget-busting contracts they signed with professional sports leagues.)