60 years ago, women knew their place

paddyandy · 22-05-2012 10:42AM

We celebrate our evils now and call them freedom .

paddyandy · 22-05-2012 10:43AM

28064212 wrote: »

Wow, hard to tell if you're incredibly naiive or just trolling

That is because you are not wise .

az2wp0sye65487 · 22-05-2012 10:43AM

The King of Moo wrote: »

What if your wife wanted the same things when she came home from work?

She wouldn't have to work. By 'work' I mean going out to a paid job every day. She would obviously have her housework to do.

The King of Moo · 22-05-2012 10:44AM

paddyandy wrote: »

We celebrate our evils now and call them freedom .

Such a grand statement needs examples to back it up.

Originally Posted by steviecakes
She wouldn't have to work. By 'work' I mean going out to a paid job every day. She would obviously have her housework to do.

What if she wanted or, worse, needed to get a job?

paddyandy · 22-05-2012 10:47AM

Brevity is the soul of wit .......and i don't have the time to waste .

az2wp0sye65487 · 22-05-2012 10:50AM

The King of Moo wrote: »

What if she wanted or, worse, needed to get a job?

I'm talking about in an ideal world where one income would be enough. We've had this conversation. She would be more than happy to be the housewife

22-05-2012 10:50AM

i follow these rules to the hilt with no problems at all , if only the labotomy scars werent irrated by my headscarf i would be grand .

smash · 22-05-2012 10:55AM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Hmm.

An old email forward about housewives in the fifties sitting in AH for a day and this hasn't turned into a major crapstorm yet?

Hmm.

Give it an hour I suppose.

Most of the female posters were told by their husbands not to reply.

Riamfada · 22-05-2012 10:55AM

It was 1955 so he probably spent a few years in his life getting the **** shot at him by germans for 6 years. He deserves a little R&R from his missus.

The King of Moo · 22-05-2012 10:57AM

Miranda Zealous Gumdrop wrote: »

I'm talking about in an ideal world where one income would be enough. We've had this conversation. She would be more than happy to be the housewife

Fair enough, I'm glad it's an ideal world you're talking about.

Personally I can see the appeal too, but I'd hate for it to be all one way. It'd feel too much like having a servant instead of a wife, and I'd feel uncomfortable with such an arrangement pretty quickly.

Also, I'm a pretty good cook, so I'd prefer to cook dinner most of the time and let her do the washing up

.

paddyandy wrote: »

Brevity is the soul of wit .......and i don't have the time to waste .

How convenient.

In fact, it's worthy of me breaking out one of these guys:

:rolleyes:

AeoNGriM · 22-05-2012 11:02AM

dark crystal wrote: »

I came across this hilarious article purportedly from 'Houskeeping Monthly' in 1955 on how to be the perfect wife:

http://j-walk.com/other/goodwife/images/goodwifeguide.gif

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.

During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

A good wife always knows her place.

Crazy stuff!

Now, there's nothing at all wrong with a woman choosing to work at home should she choose to do so, but the complete lack of any respect for the woman's feelings at all in this article is hard to comprehend in this day and age.

Also, if I were that husband, I'd be pretty annoyed at having an autobot in place of the girl I fell in love with!

Mad to see how much gender roles have changed in the last 60 years.

Definitely a quality the perfect wife posesses

:pac:

krudler · 22-05-2012 11:22AM

paddyandy wrote: »

60 years ago everybody knew their place .Life was simple then .

you mean people were afraid to speak their minds and express themselves.

Jaxxy · 22-05-2012 11:26AM

That all sounds dreadfully boring tbh.

biko · 22-05-2012 11:26AM

Ah, the old "personal slave" mail.
Handy to have one alright.

hondasam · 22-05-2012 11:38AM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Hmm.

An old email forward about housewives in the fifties sitting in AH for a day and this hasn't turned into a major crapstorm yet?

Hmm.

Give it an hour I suppose.

All us women are to busy working our way through that very long list before the man of the house arrives home.
At least the house is clean.

Feeona · 22-05-2012 11:50AM

A lot of this sounds patronising.....TO MEN! :eek: oh my god did she just say that?

Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed. Me hungry, want food in my belly.
Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Distracted by shiny things.
His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it. Not interested in his job, has no personal purpose in life apart from bringing home cash for the family.
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables. Ok nothing patronising here. Everyone likes coming into a clean house.
After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction. Husband is unable to comfort himself.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet. Can't concentrate on more than one thing at a time WITH ALL THAT GODDAMN NOISE GOIN' ON!
Be happy to see him. Because no-one else is.
Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him. Because you're the only one who does it.
Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
Don't greet him with complaints and problems. Because he can't fix them.
Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work. Can't handle his job.
Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Nice thing to do for anyone
Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice. Loud noises scare him.
Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him. Questioning him knocks his self esteem.
A good wife always knows her place. By pushing down all her wants and needs at the behest of her stressed-out, downtrodden, insecure husband.

:rolleyes:

Talk about creating an environment of dependency!

hondasam · 22-05-2012 11:58AM

Feeona wrote: »

A lot of this sounds patronising.....TO MEN! :eek: oh my god did she just say that?

Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed. Me hungry, want food in my belly.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Distracted by shiny things.

His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it. Not interested in his job, has no personal purpose in life apart from bringing home cash for the family.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables. Ok nothing patronising here. Everyone likes coming into a clean house.

After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction. Husband is unable to comfort himself.

Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet. Can't concentrate on more than one thing at a time WITH ALL THAT GODDAMN NOISE GOIN' ON!

Be happy to see him. Because no-one else is.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him. Because you're the only one who does it.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Don't greet him with complaints and problems. Because he can't fix them.

Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work. Can't handle his job.

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Nice thing to do for anyone

Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice. Loud noises scare him.

Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him. Questioning him knocks his self esteem.

A good wife always knows her place. By pushing down all her wants and needs at the behest of her stressed-out, downtrodden, insecure husband.

:rolleyes:

Talk about creating an environment of dependency!

I think it was funny. What man is like that now and what woman would put up with it.

dark crystal · 22-05-2012 12:18PM

hondasam wrote: »

What man is like that now and what woman would put up with it.

The men who buy their brides from exotic places like Thailand and the Philippines.

Many women from those countries are brought up to be dutiful and subservient wives. Western women may be more liberated now, but in other countries it's still the norm to wait hand and foot on your hubbie.

hondasam · 22-05-2012 12:28PM

dark crystal wrote: »

The men who buy their brides from exotic places like Thailand and the Philippines.

Many women from those countries are brought up to be dutiful and subservient wives. Western women may be more liberated now, but in other countries it's still the norm to wait hand and foot on your hubbie.

Maybe just maybe some women are happy to do that.

biko · 22-05-2012 12:33PM

Unfortunately there are still countries around the world where that still prevails.
Women in many places are in fact owned by their father and then by their husbands, just another possession.

kfallon · 22-05-2012 12:34PM

dark crystal wrote: »

The men who buy their brides from exotic places like Thailand and the Philippines.

Na they buy them for the unique delights of a woman with a willy :pac:

KittyeeTrix · 22-05-2012 01:02PM

Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.

:eek::D
I particularly like these ones...... Jaysus, I'd never have managed to stay married back in those times!!!!

stupidusername · 22-05-2012 01:25PM

It's not as in the past in this country as some seem to believe. There was always the impression in my house that the men got fed first, like to make sure they got enough. Whenever I'm cooking for my boyfriend I still make sure he has more than me, even though it seems I eat more than he does.

shopaholic01 · 22-05-2012 01:41PM

A lot of housewives in the 50's and 60' were on valium to cope with the boredom. Easy to act like that when you're drugged into oblivion.

Nothingbetter2d · 22-05-2012 01:42PM

shopaholic01 wrote: »

A lot of housewives in the 50's and 60' were on valium to cope with the boredom. Easy to act like that when you're drugged into oblivion.

i must remember that

shopaholic01 · 22-05-2012 01:43PM

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

i must remember that

Rohypnol messes with the memory though .............;)

paddyandy · 22-05-2012 09:12PM

I don't understand the reasoning that states that women are more liberated to-day yet the amount of time they spend getting ready or preparing for something with tooing and frowing around shops all week over this or that .Their lives are cluttered from one end of the week to the other and it's NOT freedom but obligations of a myriad kind .Women spend ages in front of the mirror every day .I want to know what they are liberated from .Their greatgrandmothers did'nt have anything like the demands and the type of demands are different . They worked hard years ago but the life was simpler and safer too .Usually .They go around half naked and in cold weather too .Freedom ??????

shopaholic01 · 22-05-2012 09:30PM

paddyandy wrote: »

I don't understand the reasoning that states that women are more liberated to-day yet the amount of time they spend getting ready or preparing for something with tooing and frowing around shops all week over this or that .Their lives are cluttered from one end of the week to the other and it's NOT freedom but obligations of a myriad kind .Women spend ages in front of the mirror every day .I want to know what they are liberated from .Their greatgrandmothers did'nt have anything like the demands and the type of demands are different . They worked hard years ago but the life was simpler and safer too .Usually .They go around half naked and in cold weather too .Freedom ??????

But we do it because we want to, so there's freedom of choice if nothing else.
See your point though, never thought of it like that before.

al28283 · 22-05-2012 09:33PM

60 years ago people had some very strange ideas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3S24ofEQj4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy-zVlB4mvA

ashes79 · 22-05-2012 09:46PM

Isn't that an American article though? In 1955 my dad was born. He was the 3rd of 5 children born to a family where both parents worked in pretty manual jobs and they took in unmarried working girls as lodgers to make ends meet. I'm fairly sure that after my grand mother spending the morning working in a laundry and then cleaning the house without all the time saving stuff we have now my granddad may have died a bit younger if he expected to be treated like that article suggests lol

60 years ago, women knew their place

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