Gender Bias Stirs Readers

A female hedge fund manager's commentary describing societal bias against entrusting money to a woman was the top magnet for user comments this week.

Comment: Women in Hedge Funds

Most responses said bias against women emanates not only from prospective customers (fund investors), but from colleagues and hiring managers as well. "As a woman mutual fund manager ... with a stint in investment banking ... have found being a woman is not a help ... I have to work many times harder for the respect that men are instantly given," one anonymous reader said.

Amy Hoffman, who works in derivatives, wrote, "I've been a trader on the floor of the Pacific Exchange and on a trading desk with a small firm for over 15 years and I still can't get onto a desk at one the big firms. So much for equal opportunity!"

Jack, who works in asset management, provided the lone contrary note. Castigating females who complain of bias, he said that his supervisor, who is female and successful, "would never think of venting in a forum like this .... Stop blaming it on the sex and being jealous of the guys, cause it ain't gonna solve your problems. Maybe therapy???"

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Cover Letters: Not Extinct, Just Evolved

Carol Lippert Gray's article about cover letters in the digital era led Dahir Nur, a student, to wonder how far a candidate can legitimately go in tailoring their background to fit a position. "Here is what intrigues me. How do you tailor yourself to the needs of the employers if you have never done what they are looking for? That, I think, falls within the category of cheating."

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