'My So-Called Wife'

Submitted by Matt on Tue, 2010-01-26 17:13

I found this to be quite funny, well-written, and of course, pathetic. Give 'em an inch they want a mile. Give 'em a mile, they want an inch. And on and on it goes. I don't single women out though for this observation. I see it time and again at work, in what the public or the people expect (from government, etc.), and so on. Of further interest though were also the off-linked articles, which I mention after this excerpt:

'I am stricken with the peculiar curse of being a 21st-century woman who makes more than the man she’s living with — first with a husband for 13 years and now with a new partner. It’s an increasingly common situation, according to a recent Pew study that found that the proportion of American marriages in which the wife makes more money rose to 22 percent in 2007 from 4 percent in 1970.

I don’t know how it’s going for my sisters, but as my 40s and Verizon bills and mortgage payments roll on, I seem to have an ever more recurring 1950s housewife fantasy. In this magical Technicolor world, the breadwinner husband, Brad, leaves home (where his duties are limited to mowing the lawn and various minor home repairs) at 7 a.m. When he returns from work at 6 p.m., aside from a savory roast with mashed potatoes, his homemaker wife, Nancy, has pipe, slippers and a tray of Manhattans ready.
...
One could ask, who are the modern women who are content with such a role? These are times when mothers with newborns watch “Oprah” episodes that feature a harried mom just like you who became entrepreneurial with her jam, and is now head of a multimillion-dollar company in addition to being a great mom!

In the end, we all want a wife. But the home has become increasingly invaded by the ethos of work, work, work, with twin sets of external clocks imposed on a household’s natural rhythms. And in the transformation of men and women into domestic co-laborers, the Art of the Wife is fast disappearing.

So in the meantime, I may need to settle for a man who can simply make a decent tray of Manhattans and, while you’re at it, pussycat, make mine a double.'

As promised:
More Men Marrying Wealthier Women
Skipping Spouse to Spouse Isn’t Just a Man’s Game

Like0 Dislike0

Comments

The author of this article makes a number of swipes at men, such as how men don't put things on shelves at the right height for women. Of course, everything should revolve around making life easy for women. How narcissistic of her! Never mind that the men might have other reasons to put certain things in certain places. Likewise, men and women vary in height, in case she didn't notice. At any rate, this idiotic article has many such nonsensical statements.

I'm surprised any man wants to be with such a man-hating woman. If all a man is good for is making money and making drinks, then perhaps she is better off being a feminist lesbian. That such garbage got printed at all is a testament to the total editorial domination of The New York Times by feminists.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by redwoodwriter on Tue, 2010-01-26 17:55

I don't give a rat's ass what this lady wants.

-ax

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by axolotl on Wed, 2010-01-27 06:59

I don't use this word usually. I can probably count on the fingers of one hand how many times I have used it. It was more out of respect for my mother but since she is dead. I have one word for this "author".

CUNT

Badger

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by badgerb on Wed, 2010-01-27 17:47

This is a fluff piece of journalism and not meant to be taken too seriously.

What the author is saying is that it is nice to have a house-"wife' at home. 'Wife" refers to someone, of any gender, to stay home and have the household and kids all under control and a drink waiting in hand when you come home from a hard day's work.

The author makes more than her husband, so she is fantasizing about him taking on this role of a 1950's era "house-wife" .

There are some families that would like to have an adult at home running the household and doing favors for the working spouse, if they can afford it. On a personal level, I think kids should be raised by family and not by daycares and strangers. So in my household there will be a parent at home. Everyone should do what works for them. And people that care about each other tend to perform pleasantries for one another. I always make sure the fridge is stocked with my husband's favorite beer for the weekends (and I don't drink beer).

At least the author is not gender biased when she considers who should be the designated "house-spouse".

The only real flaw I can see is that she insinuates that her male partner does not work as hard because he makes less that her, and therefore he would have the energy to take on this extra role of having drinks/dinner ready, etc. This, of course, is false because how much money you make is not an indicator as to how hard you work.

Other than that, I do not rate this article as harshly as others. The author was fantasizing, I am sure some male journalist have written about their fantasy of the "perfect woman" that could be viewed as sexist and belittling.

And even here at MANN there is one poster that ends each post with: "women can work where ever they want as long as they have dinner on the table when we get home"

Can we not even suggest that we would enjoy some pleasantries from our significant others without being scolded for it?

This woman is just fantasizing for Heaven's sake, she is not making a political statement or asking anyone else to change.

Just my two cents....

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Kris on Wed, 2010-01-27 21:47