I didn't focus specifically on these women to imply it only applies to women, I merely responded to somebody far up the thread that singled out that demographic

I didn't focus specifically on these women to imply it only applies to women, I merely responded to somebody far up the thread that singled out that demographic. I think it's important to be precise about the group. I'm assuming a subset of women that have delayed relationships or family planning for 1-2 decades due to their full dedication to their careers. Most educated women would not fall in this group. They would have found some balance between the two, and start earlier with the social aspect of life. So the group is highly specific, to a degree extreme. I do not believe that men and women look for the exact same qualities in each other. The thing these women optimized for (professional status) is not necessarily high on the list of all men. And even if it was, (many/most) men would settle for "less" in the meanwhile, indicating that again time is the selector. These women have desirable qualities, but they don't matter if they're not on the market when it matters. The opposite situation is not the same. Whether it is biological or cultural, men fully dedicated to their career do tend to find partners accepting this imbalance, thus they don't wait until 40 years old to start a relationship or family. It doesn't even have to be a harmful stereotype if its fully consensual. So I agree that this dynamic is less applicable to men. And indeed, said women have to adjust expectations. Again I could sum it up as this: start in your twenties if you're picky.