I’m not a devoted sports fan, but among the sports I do watch, I include women’s sports. There is a rhythm to the play that is… well… different from the way men play… and interesting to watch.

The principal behind women’s sports is a curious one. Let’s focus on major league pro sports. Negligibly few individuals qualify to attempt to play a major league sport. There are some stereotypically identifiable groups who are over-represented on sports teams in terms of their proportion of the population, and many who are under-represented. Among the multitude of stereotypically identifiable groups who are under-represented, one such group, and only one, has been singled out as being entitled to its own sports system — to play exclusively with other members of their group — to have their skills evaluated exclusively against other members of their group. The stereotypically identifiable group of which I speak is, of course, women. The entitlement is based on the fact that they are seen as not being able to compete successfully against a counter-stereotypically identifiable group, a group that is over represented, that group being men.

And the system works, in the sense that it allows more women the opportunity to play on sports teams at a higher level. It works so well that I suggest that we apply it to other areas of life.

Take economics. ‘Wage gaps’ and ‘glass ceilings’ suggest that women do not compete successfully against men in our economic system. So why not establish a women’s economic system? For example, establish an automobile manufacturing corporation parallel to General Motors, but owned, managed and staffed by women only. In a similar vein an entire women’s economic system could be established in parallel to the existing system. No man would be allowed to participate in the women’s economic system (except to purchase products). However, applying principles derived from the sports system, women who believed they were able to compete successfully against men could vie for positions within the men’s economic system.

Government. A brief survey of elected and appointed government officials shows that women have not competed well against men in attaining government positions. Why not establish a parallel women’s government in which women elect other women to positions corresponding to those of the existing government at local, state and federal levels? The women’s government would have the same authority as the men’s to enact and enforce legislation, adjudicate disputes and collect taxes. They would need to establish local, state and federal police agencies (consisting of women officers) to enforce their laws. Again, women would be permitted to run for office or receive appointments in the men’s government, but no men would hold positions or participate in the women’s government.