Frances- Thanks for reading and your thoughtful reflections here. Good listeners (or those who choose not to say much) are often viewed as “great conversationalists” by verbose chatterers who love an audience. And while women in conversation are taken a lot more seriously today than in the past, there will always be some whose sexism blinds them from appreciating intelligent women. Lastly, I agree. One of the pleasures of aging is that we just don’t care as much what others think.

All the best to you.