I bet a great many women do find complementary marriages, even to rich and powerful men... This social subcircle seems to be quite a curious arrangement.

My question is, if you're rich, why not hire dedicated tutors to help get the kids into college and manage the household, and save money on those 'mommy bonuses'?

I think the answer is because the type of women who do this actually enjoy the process of living a mega-rich lifestyle, "Many ran their homes (plural) like C.E.O.s.".

    “It’s easier and more fun,” the women insisted when I asked about the sex segregation that defined their lives.

They know the game, and they're happy to play it.

They didn't didn't want an equal, or to be treated as an equal: they wanted things. The husband is just a means to that.

It's a modern, (and sexist) myth that only desperate, destitute women are capable of pursuing materialistic relationships.

All we know about their status is that they "graduated". That doesn't imply that they are capable of becoming billionaires. If you think about it, the same is true for men - not every men who graduates in something becomes wealthy and powerful.

Much easier to find somebody who is already rich and powerful and latch on. In fact, it might be the smarter approach.