The following essay, “Why I Want a Wife,” appeared in Ms. Magazine in 1972 during the feminist movement in the United States. In this essay, Brady takes a satirical and humorous look at what it means to be a wife and mother. Brady was thinking of a longtime friend who appeared on the scene, fresh from a recent divorce and was looking for another wife (263). It was in that moment it occurred to Brady, as a wife and mother, which she also would like to have a wife. She first starts out by saying, “Why do I want a wife?” (263). She lists most of the duties, expectations and demands of the husband and society that are unfairly unjust to women and it is underappreciated and unrecognized.…
In the aftermath of the American Revolution the idea of sexual spheres became known and widely accepted and valued. For with it came the idea of “republican motherhood”, which in essence was the idea that all males should be raised by their mother’s to be virtuous and heavily nationalistic and politically informed. While the daughters were raised to follow in their mother’s footsteps when they were eventually married away. (Doc. A) Republican motherhood also brought about the innovation of limited female education versus their previous status of no education. The general consensus was to give the females limited knowledge of how the male sphere worked so that they may better teach their son’s how to be politically correct on the subjects of their time. (Doc. B) Although the idea of republican motherhood may have opened many doors for women to make their move into society, it also helped to strengthen the idea that women are eternally inferior to men in every way shape and form. (Doc. G)…
For the purpose of becoming a self sufficient woman, Mrs. Pontellier had to first recognize the fact that she was being forced into a mold and was not happy doing so. The ideal woman described by 19th century… can be characterized as ‘mother-women’ or “[women] who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow…
In recent discussions of Susan Bordos reading about women’s pressures in society, one controversial issue discusses how women have expectations in society that they think they have to follow. These expectations consist of being able to cook and work in the kitchen, look beautiful, and dress certain ways to gain attention. In contrast, other arguments are; men do not have to worry about their weight, they should be strong and maintain a fit body, and not needed to cook or help out in the kitchen. Proponents of this position, emphasize that women in this world have to follow what society portrays of them, otherwise by not doing it, they will not receive the same attention as they would if they listened to society. Overall, the issue presented…
Many men in the early 20th century viewed women as a pedestal by which they relied on for their everyday needs. The sarcasm of the essay shows the reader how a wife feels about how she is treated. Brady states in her closing sentence, “My god who wouldn’t want a wife?”(525), which basically states that wives are unappreciated and over worked in many…
In the 1970’s, the fight for women’s suffrage was a major highlighted impact amongst the nation as women everywhere fought for their equality with men. Within this time, women were considered to be obligated to take of the family and the home without any gratitude. Judy Brady effectively points this out to the readers of Ms. Magazine in 1972, where she publishes an article that opens eyes across the nation. In her article, “Why I Want a wife,” Brady uses techniques such as pathos to discuss her duties as a wife and to show the unfairness and inequality that her position upholds.…
1st Essay Since the beginning of history, women have been commended on their natural ability to nurture and their ability to not only nurture children, but everything they take interest in. Unfortunately their interests have always been limited. They are denied the right to be fascinated by anything that doesn’t align with the traditional roles of a woman and that is to: cook, clean, submit to her husband, bear children, and look “pretty”.…
At the age of 61, former journalist, Rebecca Allyson Cole passed away in her residence early this morning on June 1st, 2060. Becky, as her family liked to call her, was born in Carrollton, Tx where she then began living her life in a small town called Coppell, TX. Growing up the youngest in a family of five Rebecca always had role models to look up to and lean on when she needed a hand.…
The question this young mother asks is one ubiquitous in the minds of all women. One, I know which I have asked myself. Its a question that needs an answer, whether you’ve gone to college or not, had a career or not, or gotten married or not. This young mother is aware of her actions and seems to have struggled with the thought that if she is the sum of her total daily actions, she is a nobody and therefore, offers no significance or value to the world . . . seems indeed…
Throughout the whole article I had an understanding that woman were going to advocated for and be advised to stop chasing men that need to feel superior and secure before they can have a relationship. I find “an explanation in the enduring pressure men feel to be providers” to be stereotypical and feeds into a patriarchy. Men needing to believe they must be the breadwinners in a society wear feminism speaks volumes, and where females make it clear as day they don't want to be thought of as housewives but instead climb corporate ladders and be seen as equals. Consequently it was intriguing to read about the toxicity mentioned in the “7 reasons why Patriarchy is bad (and Feminism is good) for men” be an influence in this writing piece. Lisa mentioning how “studies find that such women often make men feel emasculated or inferior.”…
Throughout history the roles of women have changed dramatically. Since the 1950’s, women have slowly but surely evolved into the individuals one sees today in public offices, law firms or even the five o’ clock news. However, this evolution did not occur over night. Although women in the 1950’s and today have dealt with similar stereotypes, today life has greatly improved because women aren’t as pressured to get married, are taken more seriously in the business world, and are even making as much or more money as men.…
Over the course of Hitchcock’s film career that we have viewed in this course, Hitchcock’s leading women have become more substantive and developed as characters. This stark difference, involving both the characters and filming experiences of the actresses, is best exemplified through Joan Fontaine in Rebecca (1940) and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959). CHARACTERS Though many of Hitchcock’s first leading women were not forces of nature, none was quite to the extent of “I” in Rebecca. She was a meek girl who was completely out of her element when set in charge of her new husband’s house, in the shadow of his wife, Rebecca, who tragically died. She is constantly compared to the other woman due to her essentially filling in the vacated…
The fact Rebecca possesses similar qualities to a vampire would suggest that she is ‘other’, that she is not human. The notion can be further developed in noting that like vampires, Rebecca has to be ‘killed’ more than once; she is killed three times in the plot, she is shot, she had cancer, and she is drowned; the brutality of her multiple deaths is further intensified with the knowledge that Maxim was also knowingly murdering the child she was carrying. This excessive killing of such a powerful life force is a stark reminder of patriarchy’s rejection of transgressive…
Although movies and dramas has been illustrating lower class fantasy to reach up towards the higher class by marring a wealthy person, it’s difficult to see this kinds of situations. Forming a family isn’t about choosing your best friend, it’s about forming a life time (mostly) evidence which deals with the future generations heritage. However, despite the fact that class can be maintained or what it takes to reach the desired class, it doesn’t change the fact that gender inequality is stopping. In other words, such roles for “mothers” are still limited and stereotyped.…
Thus, in an attempt to further promote equal opportunity between men and women, a second wave of feminism emerged between 1968 and the 1980’s, which can be best characterized by women’s refusal to acclimate to society’s rigid belief of what an ideal woman should be or act like (Mancia, Class, 12/2). This problem is perfectly illustrated in the Feminine Mystique, written by Betty Friedan, in which Friedan discussed the unhappiness of many young women in the 1950’s and early 1960’s despite many of them being married and having children, living the life a woman is “supposed” to have. Furthermore, Friedan complained of young women who were being taught that “truly feminine women do not want careers, higher education, political rights” (Friedan, p. 271). Instead, they were being taught that it was a woman’s “job” to essentially be a housewife (i.e. stay home, clean the house, make food for her family, take care of the kids, etc...) (Friedan, p. 273). However, Friedan largely opposed this view and believed that it embodied the false prototypical stereotype about women. Rather, Friedan believed that a truly feminine woman would do just the exact opposite and does aim for a career, higher education, and political rights in the same way that a man would (Mancia, Class,…