" Fair. There was that word again. And her father was right about life not being fair. Especially for a woman. Especially for a woman who valued independence and learning above men and marriage. Not that she had any objection to the institution of marriage itself. There were numerous examples of good marriages right here in her own town. Her parents, for one. But few men seemed to want a wife with the courage to speak her mind openly. At least, no men she’d met. Even her father preferred that she keep most of her opinions to herself.
When she turned thirty-five earlier this year, she’d accepted that she was—and would remain—an old maid. Being unmarried wasn’t the worst fate in the world. But she did want to be useful. She would like to feel as if the work she did was valued by others.
What would she do when her father sold the newspaper? Something he’d begun to talk about more and more often. Would a new owner employ a woman reporter? Or a female editor? Her father wouldn’t even make her the editor. Why would someone else? "

― Robin Lee Hatcher , Love Letter to the Editor (Four Weddings and a Kiss)