>> There is a good chance that article is fraud. I mean... don't complain
>> if he stays out all night ????? Seriously? Not even in the 1950s.
>
> Oh, I doubt that, Dave. They used to publish books akin to guidelines
> on how to be a good wife. Way before this little thing was published.
> And it was always about what the wife should do to *keep* her man.
>
> Many years later there was a book espousing the same concept. Do any of
> you recall a booked titled 'The Complete Woman'? By Maribel Morgan...
> 1970's, IIRC. Here's a quote from her book:
>
> "She needed to accept him and to *change herself* to make him and
> herself happy. Morgan once wrote, "It's only when a woman *surrenders*
> her life to her husband, reveres and worships him and is willing to
> serve him, that she becomes really beautiful to him. She becomes a
> priceless jewel, the glory of femininity, his queen!"
>
> What a load of horsecrap. Might as well chain her up in the basement and
> only let her out to do the cooking.


I am not questioning that the roles of men and women were different back
then, or that there were guides to being a good wife, but I think this
one is a little over the top, a parody of the more common advice of the day.

Bear in mind that things were different back then. Men were expected to
go out and work to support the family and women were expected to stay
home to raise the family and look after the house. Most people did not
have the labour saving devices that we have now. They did not have
freezers except for the small area at the op of the fridge which had
room for a couple ice cup trays and a pint or two if ice cream. People
had to go out shopping more often. Most people did not have automatic
dish washing machines so dishes had to be washed by had after each meal.


Laundry was a major undertaking. Washing machines were not automatic.
They had to be tended, set the water lever, get the aggitator going.
There was no rinse or spin cycle. They had those rollers to squeeze the
water out.,,, before you hung it to dry. No blenders or food
processors. No prepared frozen dinners. Keeping a house clean and tidy
and having clean laundry and cooked meals was a full time job.


I have a hard time mustering sympathy for people who whine about doing
laundry these says because I remember how much work it was for my mother
when I was a kid. These days you sort it, pop it into a machine, add
the detergent, set the cycle and push the start button. Come back in an
hour to transfer it to the dryer. When it is all done you sit in front
of the TV and fold it, watching the same programs you watched while the
machine was doing the work for you. How many people actually iron these
days?

The men were responsible for the outdoor work. They have as many labour
saving devices for outside work as there are for inside. Most houses
have siding these days, and vinyl or aluminum fascia and soffits.
Painting the house and trim is no longer an annual job. Lawnmowers,
hedge clippers, saws..... all motorized. You don't have to change tires
several times a year, and autos don't spent a day or two each month in
the shop.