The plaintive, but chauvinistic cry of one song from My Fair Lady is, "Why can't a woman be more like a man?" A dumb question, agree TIME staffers who covered the female vice-presidential candidates for this week's cover story: in ability, energy and commitment, male and female politicians meet on an equal footing. Still, in one area, style, there are sometimes fascinating differences. New York Bureau Chief John Stacks, who was struck by the talents of New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, says, "After spending nearly 20 years following male politicians, reporting on Ferraro proved that the ingredients of leadership are the same for men and women. But perhaps because she must overcome the historical reluctance to elect women, Ferraro seems to work twice as hard as most of her male counterparts."

Stacks accompanied Ferraro on a dizzying round of public appearances, including a breakfast at a Jewish community center, a march in support of Soviet Jewry and a dinner at a Knights of Columbus hall. He also dined with Ferraro and her husband, Real Estate Developer John Zaccaro. "An unusual thing," Stacks observes, "was interviewing Zaccaro in his role as supportive mate. I'm used to directing those kinds of questions to the woman."

Staff Writer Alessandra Stanley, who spent an afternoon with Ferraro and wrote the story about her, sees one small campaigning distinction. "Women politicians today address the same issues as men, but they may express them differently," she says. "Ferraro occasionally adds a personal anecdotal touch that might seem affected in a man but is natural with her."

In New York, Senior Writer Lance Morrow wrote the main cover story. One of the contributors to that effort was Correspondent Barbara Dolan, who investigated the nuts-and-bolts politics of the Democratic women powermakers. Dolan sensed a coming of age: "As late as the convention of 1980, women were outsiders working for a way in. Now they are insiders working for a way up."

San Francisco Bureau Chief Michael Moritz reported on that city's vice-presidential contender, Mayor Dianne Feinstein, and Associate Editor William R. Doerner, his predecessor as bureau chief, wrote the Feinstein story. Moritz points out that in San Francisco, female politicians now wield considerable power: six of eleven municipal supervisors are women, and so are the city treasurer and two of the area's congressional representatives. Sums up Moritz: "Feinstein has had to work harder, leap higher barriers and endure more political setbacks than most of the men who came before her. And the city is working better than it has in 20 years."