"The Good Wife's Guide", published in Housekeeping Monthly looks like something that came out of a male chauvinist’s handbook. Numerous internet sources indicate that this originated from a 1950’s home economics textbook, compiled by Ms. Leslie Blankship from Columbus, Ohio and then later published in the Housekeeping Monthly magazine. This textbook was intended to instruct highschool girls on how to prepare for married life, and how they should interact with their new husband.

The picture that is placed in the article shows a “good wife” cooking, two children quietly interacting close by, and the husband appears to be returning from work and is greeted with a smile from his wife. The text that appears in the article gives scenarios and explanations on how a “good wife” should act when her husband returns home from work. It portrays the attitude that what is going on in the man’s life is more significant than what could possibly be going on in the woman’s and that she should allow him to speak before her so that he can unwind from his day. Supposedly, since the man is out in the workforce bringing in money to pay for the household, he is ultimately more important and should be shown that this is the case. Since the woman is at home and not working hard to support her family, she should be subserviant. The woman should have the children presentable and have the house in a sense of tranquility for the arrival of her husband. She must be prepared for what her husband has to say, have dinner waiting, and not talk about her day since what has gone on in his day is ultimately more important. The article finishes with “A good wife always knows her place.” What place is being insinuated in this statement? From some of the other points in the article, it says that it is alright if the husband doesn’t come home after work, that if he decides to go out for dinner or even to not come home at all then the wife should be understanding and accept the role that has been placed before her.

Taking into account that if this was published in the 1950’s, shortly after WWII, there very well could have been women like Ms. Leslie Blankship who fell into this stereotypical role that was expected of many women of this time. I do not agree with the sentiment but can see where this view may have had some standing in the 1950’s communities. WWII has ended, most of the female workers that took on jobs while their husbands or boyfriends went off to fight in the war are let go from their jobs. These women were thanked for their contribution but there services were no longer required now that the “MEN” would be returning, and that they could now go home and be housewives again, never taking into account that some of these women enjoyed the work that they were doing and that they would like to continue working. The women were not needed and they could go home to their baking and being good little servants to their men.

Today, these expectations of an ideal housewife would go over like a boustrious fart in church. Over time, society has begun to realize that all people, men and women, have a place inside and outside of the home. Unfortunately, this is not the case around the world and even some places here in America. Having daughters of my own, I would hope that they would not expect to grow up planning to someday become somebody’s servant, not having a voice or opinion of their own, and living life to fulfill someone else’s dreams, instead, looking towards dreams of their own and working towards fulfilling those dreams.

With the comparison of these two archetypes, society should be able see where times have changed and that the exploitation of women even in the 1950’s was wrong and unjust. Many things over the course of history have been found to be wrong. Could there be some things in today’s culture that can be looked at and seen in a different light? How many years must go by before society realizes that some events that are happening are wrong, that maybe what is going on is not right and that something should be done to change what is happening? Might we even look back on present times sixty years from now and see some our own views questioned?