Women Writers' Alter Egos

I have been considering women writers'alter egos. It is often said of male writers that their primary characters are drawn from their own subconscious and probably contain elements of what that person would like to be had they the choice.

Alter egos are rarely mentioned when it comes to women writers but I am sure that the same process occurs. In the novel that I am still trying to finish and the new one I intend to embark on the primary character is a freelance researcher, which is part of what I do; she is also a reluctant private detective. I don't think I would be quite so reluctant were I single and twenty years younger, because being a private eye has always appealed to me. Well we all have our foibles.