There is a war on women and the Religious right are trying to gain power in government. They are bound and determined to make sure that women are in servitude to their men and the "church." If the religious right has its way, women will be thrown back into the darkness of being only useful as breeders and servants to husband, father, brothers, and uncles.
The following is from an actual 1950's Home Economics textbook intended for High School girls, teaching them how to prepare for married life. Remember and use your power to vote the religious right out. Religion has no place in the government. Our constitution needs to be protected from those who would throw it out in favor of a relgious state.
1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have delicious meal - on time. 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 prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will 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. His boring day may need a lift.
3. Clear away clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables.Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too.
4. 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.
5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.
6. Some DONT'S: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.
7. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lay 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, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his need to be home and relax.
10. The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.
These suggestions aren't terrbly bad. They're not Taliban bad, it's just that they are one sided and reflect an attitude that is lopsided and doesn't really work anymore, if it ever did. Just watch an old episode of I Love Lucy and listen to how Ricky talks to Lucy. Look at how she has to be underhanded and sneaky to get her way, or to beg him for something.
I remember when a woman couldn't get a credit card without her husban's signature. I remember when a woman who worked out was considered odd and socially unacceptable. I remember when abortions were performed in dark, dirty rooms with a coathanger, or when understanding doctors risked prison to perform them. I remember my mother aborting twins at home and nearly dieing from it. Then, I remember my abortion, in a clean clinic from medical doctors. I was safe and it was legal.
I have a slightly unorthodox belief. I think that if a woman is a stay-at-home mother and wife, she should do all the housework, shopping, etc. It's her job as much as going to the office is a man's. If a woman works, the home duties should be shared equally. However, I also think child rearing should be both parent's responsibility, whether or not one or both of them work.
From what I'm seeing and hearing about laws proposed and passed in states and from stump speeches from presidential candidates, women's rights are in jeapardy. When a proposed law states that a woman with a dead fetus must carry it to term, I know the world is going crazy. When I hear that there is a law being proposed for a woman to have written permission from her rapist to abort, I know the world is crazy. Vote for your rights.
End of soapbox.
