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What's your second sentence supposed to mean?

"Men from the boys" is a common idiom. It harks back to the days when male adolescents would have to commit some act of skill and/or bravery to be considered adults. Writing it as "women from the girls" seems forced and clumsy. Especially since there's no history behind it; in those ancient societies a girl became a woman by getting married.

So because there's no history or common idiom referencing women in leadership roles, we should just speak of all hardship as though only men have ever, do ever, and will ever perform in difficult rites of passage? Please. This isn't clumsy, it's forward-thinking, and arguably present-aware.

So coin an all new term, don't knock a square peg into a round hole. Next you'll say that's sexist I suppose. Note that there are no real rites of passage for either sex in the present day, how is it "present aware"?

Sorts the pros from the wannabes, how's that?

What do you mean 'there's no history behind it'? You've just explained it. The whole purpose is to cause people to examine the metaphor.

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