Why I Want a Wife

Referring to the late 1920s and early 1930s, women were seen as the common housewife. This image was depicted across many media platforms. The customary role of women, was to be in charge of running the household. This included polishing, vacuuming, dusting, dishes, laundry and other tasks which needed to be maintained on a weekly or daily basis. It became a full day workload, keeping her constantly busy as if she were employed. It was required for the women of the household to be prepared for anything her husband or family desired. Housework was typically expected to only include maintenance, however, this was not the case. Cooking, cleaning, and overall upkeep was all to be completed by the wife, while the man of the house brought in the money.

The stereotyping of women is quite common in today 's society and throughout history. In the past, women have taken the full time job of being a mother and a housewife. The 1930s initially started the ideal image of a woman. A woman was often represented as a maid-like being who would serve to their husband and children. In Richard Alleyne’s article, “Advice for women in the 1930s: Nothing Destroys the Happiness of Married Life More than the Lazy, Slovenly Wife,” he discusses the frequent expectations of a housewife. Common assumptions included; “Don’t argue with your husband; do whatever he tells you and obey all his orders” (1) and “Nothing destroys the happiness of married life more than the lazy, slovenly wife” (1). These rules have often been published into past newspapers that were

traditional gender constructs cast men as dominant and women as submissive, and the narrator certainly is bound by these constructs (81). Her husband sees her as a tool by which his needs are met, and line 1 shows that he is pleased with her cooking ability, as he “gives… an A” for the dinner she prepared the previous night. However, she also receives “an incomplete” because she did not finish the ironing (3). Should she modify her performance according to her husbands desires? If she wants the elusive praise that he grudgingly doles out, then the answer is to the affirmative. The wife is little more than hired help at this point, which is another form of objectification she is subjected to.

‘Women Are Household Slaves’ is written by Edith M. Stern for a magazine in 1949. Edith M. Stern is a college-educated writer living in Washington, D.C. Due to the assumption that women lived queenly lives of domestic bliss by most Americans, Stern use her writing to describe about household bondage which express the frustrations and the aspirations of many American women. Moreover, she wanted us to know how housewives are being treated in the reality, how heavy the duty of the housewives have. She had used a really interesting analogy of the role of the housewife to that of the president of a corporation who would not only determine policies and make over-all plan, but also spend the major part of his time and energy to in such activities as sweeping the plant and oiling machines as well.

Taking a look into the ways of her household solidified the fact that housewives were set apart from their counterparts because of their responsibilities. Their knack for multi-tasking and running a home efficiently was never held to very high standards. Now, with a look into these three women’s homes, it seems that everyone should take with them the notion that no matter the woman’s wealth or social status, her work in the home is pivotal to the success of her family.

. A diligent housewife had dinner on the table precisely at the moment her husband arrived from work, and a wife was a “good” wife only if she carried out her man’s every order and agreed with him on everything (Coob).” The women in The Crucible are treated as a kind

Nancy received her bachelor’s degree and is now working full time as a social worker, Evan is a full time furniture sales man. Hochschild argues that “most women work one shift at their office or factory and a “second shift” at home” (Hochschild 4). This is supported with what the Holt couple does when they return home from work, Nancy cooks, does housework, and cares for Joey, while Evan usually goes to the basement and works on his hobby. This is not uncommon for women to experience this “second shift” the gender system that is commonly practiced among American families is domesticity. “The ideology of domesticity held that men “naturally” belong in the market because they are competitive and aggressive; women belong in the home because of their “natural” focus on relationships, children, and an ethic of care” (Williams 1). This also relates to the gender norms placed on men and women. This leads to turmoil in the relationship causing both the man and woman

She feels like she is just playing the part as a wife. She does the cliché duties of a wife. She works in his store, cleans, and cooks for him. “She wasn’t petal open with him anymore” (Hurston 67).

The second job she holds down is with The Maids. This job entails a 7:30 - 3:30 work day at $6.65 an hour. This is the best paid and nicest looking maid job she encountered, and chooses to work there. She quickly finds out, however, the societal downfall of being a maid. Every house she goes to, the homeowners are rude, and often very ‘standoffish’. They seem to want no part of a maid, the class of workers that is ‘below all others’, in their eyes. "Were nothing to these people...nor are we much to anyone else," (100) one of her coworkers explained.

The headline that “American Wives Work Harder Than Servants” is partly accurate as their work was very tiring and hot, “July the 13, 1769, Thursday. This day is forty years since I left my Father’s house and come here, and here have I seen little else but harde labor and sorrow, crosses [suffering] of every kind. I think in every respect the state of my affairs

Domestic work and other types of work that is typically associated with women has always been undervalued and overlooked. Many types of work fall under the umbrella of domestic labor, such as: cooking, cleaning, mending, child care, running errands, managing the household, and much more. This type of work is highly undervalued and often ignored. Many of the works that we have looked at in this section highlight how many women felt about the domestic sphere that they were placed in. In this essay I will discuss this point using points from "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Professions For Women". Both women commented on the domestic sphere for women and what that meant for them.

In the time that the relationship between Tea Cake and Janie took place, it was normal for the woman to stay home and complete the chores for the household while the man worked. This conventional Relationship does work for these two lovers. Tea Cake asks Janie to work along side him in the fields, and the people ”generally assumed that she thought herself too good to work like the rest of the women and that Tea Cake ‘pomped her up tuh dat.’”(133) While everyone else thinks that Janie is too pampered to work the fields, Tea Cake believes that she, because she is not his subordinate or superior, is capable of labor. This does not mean that Janie has to take up more responsibilities because Tea Cake starts to help with the chores and making supper. Janie is not a piece of Tea Cake’s property which he can boss around. They both share work and responsibilities creating an equal relationship. Tea Cake does not ask for Janie to take on more work than him , nor does he expect to be the only worker in their bond. Equality is Tea Cake’s utmost concern in he and Janie’s

It was clear that most women at the time stayed home and keeping the house clean was something that was a big job for them. The attorney noticed right away that this was different for Margaret in her house, “Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say ladies?” (258). The attorney searches her house and notices the parts of the house that aren’t very clean and her dirty towels and notices it as something

In this poem “Woman’s Work”, the mother is forced to do household cleaning which represents a domestic life and the impact of gender specific roles. This poem is written in the third person point of view. The speaker is the daughter of a mother who doesn’t work outside, but only inside of the house, and is forced to do household cleaning with her as she hears her friends playing outside in the street. Author Julia Alvarez uses imagery, simile, and alliteration to portray the meaning of the poem that women work harder than men.

The era of the housewife usually paints a rosy mental picture; a white picket fence, a large house with a big yard, a beautiful family, and homemade goods. However, as seen in Betty Friedan’s article “The Problem That Has No Name”, describes the turmoil experienced by housewives of the 1960s. The problem was described and become popularized in a variety of ways by media outlets, such as ungrateful housewives that had too much education to realize “how lucky she is” (52). The women who experienced the problem described the feelings of inadequacy and frustration such as “I feel empty some how” or “I feel as if I don’t exist” (50). Although Friedan does not clearly state what the exact problem is it is apperant that these women want more from