In his Sept. 2 article, "Unconventional American and Asian women," Tom Plate focuses on a few successful women while repeating well-worn cliches like "it's hard for women in a men's world." I think the article lacks relevance. His point seems to be that women should not complain about their situation, they should try to get a good education, and if they can't do that, it's not their fault: The world is just harder for them.

I wonder why Plate didn't mention the situation for Japanese women. If he had, he might have had to describe a woman with excellent education who has no chance of getting to the top.

claudia hildner