Her Perception doesn't Mean Deception

Marriage is a commitment- a decision to do, all through life, that which will express your love for one's spouse." -Herman H. Kieval This is the true meaning of marriage and this is probably the meaning that most people assumed the essay Why I want a Wife would discuss. After reading the essay many minds came to the supposition that the essay suggest that marriage is a defunct institution. Honestly I would have to diverge with that conclusion due to the fact that the essay was written during the 1970’s which happens to be the same time the second wave of the feminist movement struck America. Meaning that the essay was written not to attack marriage but to explain how women were stereotyped during the time.

 During the 18^{th and} 19^th century is when the 3 waves of the feminist movement occurred. The first wave was about political equality and suffrage, the second wave was to improve social and cultural inequalities while the third fought for women to have a greater political influence. During these times women endured a great deal of inequality. They were over powered by men and looked down upon. They had very little rights and had to fight for the ones they have currently. Why wouldn’t you want an essay to be written to expose these conditions in hope to improve them?

The essay highlights many of the stereotypes women faced then and now. It talks about how women were expected to stop their whole life for a man and work like a slave to please him. This is not how a marriage should be there isn’t any equality or love in the one Brady discusses. Many argue she wrote it that way because that’s her opinion on marriage, but  they tend to forget that it was wrote during a time where that is the type of environment she was exposed to so if that is the case she didn’t have any other choice but to think this way. People are missing the whole point of the essay thinking that way though, because the essay is meant to inform you about the inequalities that took place during that time, not to just bad mouth marriage and down men.

 I agree with Brady’s writing and I understand how she felt when she wrote it, because still to this day women aren’t completely free from the stereotypes they faced during the feminist movement, they are still expected to play the role of a slave with the title housewife. Men still expect women to bow down to them and respond to their every order just as it is stated. They want women to have no identity and to be a slave and a caretaker, while they live by double standards and do as they please.

Brady’s essay was an informative essay about how women were treated during the feminist movement. Everything she wrote is true about the stereotypes women have shackled to them and since still to this day there are cultures where women are not treated equally, there should be more essays like Brady’s so people will know about the struggle and hopefully try to help better it .If people continue to simple mindedly analyze text like this one they will never see the true problem at hand and will never have a chance to be part of the solution.