Being a female software engineer used to feel like a flex until I went to a rooftop after-party during LA Fashion Week. The rooftop was full of models and multimillionaires. One man I met owned a $110 million mansion… but lived in a smaller West Hollywood apartment because the mansion was too big for just himself. When I told him I was in software, he just nodded. Then I met the woman standing next to him—an Asian girl, a few years older, who looked strikingly similar to me. Same body type, same features. She was quiet, soft-spoken, and didn’t try to impress anyone. She was a newscaster. And he was completely taken by her. Not lustfully. More like smitten. In a room full of models, he only had eyes for her. She didn’t lift a finger. He took care of her. Meanwhile, I’d spent years lifting all the fingers, building a career to support a future family. But that night it hit me: Being a high-earning woman in a male-dominated field doesn’t always reward you. It can subtly penalize you. Because the truth is: career girls often feel guilty being taken care of. So we go 50/50. We overperform. And sometimes, the girl who gets taken care of… looks just like us minus the guilt.