Letter to the Editor

             I am writing to you in response to the essay that appeared in the first issue of Ms in 1971 entitled "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady. I believe that the author of this essay does exaggerate the position a wife holds in the home, but not too greatly. This was written in 1971, when I'm sure a wife's position was much more subservient than it is today. But a lot of the claims she makes still hold true in today's society. A wife to Mrs. Brady is someone who does basically everything, or in her words "takes care of a wife's duties" and doesn't complain about it. This indicates to me that when a woman gets married and becomes a wife she takes on a whole new responsibility in her life. Which I do believe is true, but I believe it is the woman's choice on what those duties are.
             This essay makes being a wife sound more like a prison sentence or being a slave, and who wouldn't want someone to take care of their every need so perfectly that you don't even realize they are doing it. Someone that doesn't complain about catering to your every need would be even better, but let's face it; even a woman couldn't do that perfectly. Which is why this is a dramatization of what a woman's role in a marriage is.
             She states, "I want a wife to take care of my children. I want a wife to keep track of the children's doctor and dentist appointments. And to keep track of mine, too." This is something that women seem to automatically do. I do not know of any couples where the husband is the one that keeps track of appointments of this sort or that arranges for the children's care if both of the parents are working. Mrs. Brady makes the assumption that this is just one of a wife's "duties" but maybe it is just because women have a better sense of organization.
             "If by chance, I find another person more suitable as a w
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Letter to the Editor. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:30, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/53076.html