Yesterday, a text message was mistakenly sent to me by a neighbor griping about how I was home at lunch, while she had to work. (Watch that "reply all," people!) A few months ago, I heard that other moms were sneering at my academic job; I guess I shouldn't have graded blue books on the sidelines of soccer games.

All the gossip is partially a feature of suburban life. It's remarkable how closely a suburban town replicates the cliques of a high school cafeteria with the jocks at one table and the prom queens at another.

It's also remarkable that the gossip is primarily about my employment. One group is annoyed if I'm employed, and another group is annoyed if I'm not. Does this happen to men, too?