Review #2: The Good Housewives Guide

While researching gender stereotypes, I came across ‘The Good Wives Guide’. This guide was published in May of 1955’s Housekeeping Monthly magazine. This article outlines all the duties a ‘good wife’ should accomplish for her husband. Some of the less shocking more recognized duties include, having dinner ready, completing all housework before his arrival home from work and greeting him with a smile as he walks through the door. The reading states that a woman should prepare for the man’s arrival by looking pretty and making a hot or cold drink for her husband to feel comfortable. It is worthy to mention that the man is labelled ‘the master of the house’ and because of this women have no right to question his actions or judgements. It is hard to imagine that a woman would simply disregard her own feelings because of the discourse surrounding that period of time which labelled men as greater than women. The article makes a point of noting that a man’s topics of conversation are more important than a woman’s. The article finishes with the statement, “A good wife always knows her place.” I can’t help but cringe while reading these words. The women’s role was overwhelming as they were expected to care for their children, be a diligent homemaker and an obedient and attentive wife. This reading suggests that a women’s ‘place’ was to repress her feelings and suffer through any personal issues in order to make the man as happy as possible. Women were supposed to look pretty while making sure the house and family ran smoothly. Not only did the husband expect this of their wife, but society demanded hard work and perfection. Women were told that their happiness revolved around how well they could please their husband. Men were given complete control. I cannot accept that women blindly followed these rules without questioning why they were not given the same rights as men. I am so thankful for the woman who stood up against this discrimination and fought for equality!

                While trying to find similar articles, I found a satirical look at the ‘The Good Housewives Guide’ called ‘The Good Husband’s Guide’. This article reverses the stereotypical roles of men and women and puts the pressure on the men to “look pretty and shut up”. I also found an article labelled ‘The Good Man’s Guide’ (scroll down to find this article). This article gives men (or anyone in a relationship) a realistic idea about their spousal responsibilities in today’s world. ‘The Good Housewives Guide’ is an eye- opening look at how far our society has come in giving equal rights to woman.

Emma Liz