The Good Wife's Guide
“The Good Wife’s Guide” was originally circulated as a fax and then became a widespread email. It includes 18 bullet points that all “good wives” should keep in mind when preparing the house for the husband’s return home from work.
As originally printed in a 1955 issue of Housekeeping Monthly:
As originally printed in a 1955 issue of Housekeeping Monthly:
1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.
6. Over 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 for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
7. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
8. Be happy to see him.
9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
10. 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.
11. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
13. Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.
14. Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
15. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
17. 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.
18. A good wife always knows her place.
"The Good Wife's Guide" is a clear example of the gender oppression women faced during the 1950's. It illustrates the idea that women had no other purpose to fulfil than to tending to the home and keeping her husband happy. The article includes many offensive and demeaning points aimed at keeping women in their place. Perhaps the most provocative point of the article is point number seventeen. The point reads, "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." This point suggests that the feelings and opinions were irrelevant because their husbands have an uncontested authority of the household. "The Good Wife's Guide" established the expectations and boundaries of women and provided a clear guide for the 1950's housewife.
The Way to A Man's Heart
=dWritten by Dorothy Hurst:
The way to a man's heart So we've always been told, Is a good working knowledge Of pot, pan, and mold.
The talented gal Who can whip up a pie, Rates a well deserved rave From her favorite guy.
A juicy red steak, Or a tender, fish fillet Done to a turn In a bright copper skillet
Will soothe the rough edges Of tempers, no fooling!!! And leave the man happy Contented and drooling.
This poem entitled "The Way to A Man's Heart" was featured in the 1956 cookbook To The Bride by Dorothy Hurst. The cookbook targeted newlywed women and advised them in the culinary arts and reassured the young women that their skills in the kitchen would ensure a happy married life. According to the poem, if a woman were armed with a good pie recipe and a "juicy red steak," she was had what it took to be an excellent wife. This poem enforced the traditional role of women in the kitchen. It also addresses the idea that a woman's only desire should be to please her husband with whatever he may need.
The way to a man's heart So we've always been told, Is a good working knowledge Of pot, pan, and mold.
The talented gal Who can whip up a pie, Rates a well deserved rave From her favorite guy.
A juicy red steak, Or a tender, fish fillet Done to a turn In a bright copper skillet
Will soothe the rough edges Of tempers, no fooling!!! And leave the man happy Contented and drooling.
This poem entitled "The Way to A Man's Heart" was featured in the 1956 cookbook To The Bride by Dorothy Hurst. The cookbook targeted newlywed women and advised them in the culinary arts and reassured the young women that their skills in the kitchen would ensure a happy married life. According to the poem, if a woman were armed with a good pie recipe and a "juicy red steak," she was had what it took to be an excellent wife. This poem enforced the traditional role of women in the kitchen. It also addresses the idea that a woman's only desire should be to please her husband with whatever he may need.
Footnotes
1.) "The Good Wife's Guide," Housekeeping Weekly, May 13, 1955, [Page #], digital file.
2.) Dorothy Hurst, ed., To the Bride (New York, NY: To the Bride, 1956)
Cover image courtesy of "The Good Wife's Guide"
2.) Dorothy Hurst, ed., To the Bride (New York, NY: To the Bride, 1956)
Cover image courtesy of "The Good Wife's Guide"