Why was Pelosi so much older as speaker than Paul Ryan?

[Hortensis]

29. She's not responsible for Duby's lack of confidence either.

Educating himself to have confidence that our members of congress are competent to make this decision (and won't be needing his thoughts on it) is his job.

Regarding that "sexist" business in the OP, though, Nancy's anything but a helpless little woman victim of male oppression.

She was raised in politics from infancy and is, as I imagine even Duby feels confident of, an extremely strong-minded woman. She and her husband had plenty of money to hire live-in childcare if they chose. Nancy chose to raise all 5 of their daughters as a busily politically involved but stay-at-home-mom herself.

In her 40s, instead of preparing for her next role as an invisible and irrelevant older woman, she then ran for office for the first time when her youngest daughter was in high school. Then went on to rise to the highest political position any women has held in federal government.

I wish everyone could be proud and admiring of her for that. Instead, I get the strong feeling some here would prefer her to take up her too-long-delayed role as one of the older women they see no reason to consider. As soon as possible.