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Who Is Judy Brady's I Want A Wife?

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Little girls often dream of finding their Prince Charming or a soul mate to walk through the journey of life with as their husband’s queen or wife. Judy Brady depicts the Cinderella version of marriage with endless chores and selfless compliance to a husband’s expectations in “I Want a Wife” (Brady, 1972). An understanding of what a wife is and what she is not is explored; as well as the cultural norms of a woman’s place within a home including her worth where equality fades and servitude emerges. Understandably, a wife is an equal partner in a marriage. A women’s nurturing and compassionate nature makes her a natural caregiver for both her spouse and their children. When it comes to organization, a woman usually handles the household expenses and keeps the house tidy; knowing where any object within the house can be located at a moment’s notice (Brady, 1972, par. 4). Unselfishly, a woman attends to the needs of her family including, but not limited to, a companion, provider, confidant, cook, secretary, hostess, caterer, travel agent, and event planner. A wife is a strong and determined woman who is tirelessly devoted to her family’s well-being. As a wife, she is one-half of a support team that does not mind …show more content…

Considering a one income family was no longer an affordable reality; women entered the workforce and continued their education. However, as depicted by Brady, what did not change was the pre-conceived notion of a wife’s responsibilities because she was still expected to assume the same domestic burden without fail while earning a living for their family (Brady, 1972). The family dynamic in the 1970’s changed. It was time to reevaluate the traditional role of a husband and a wife that would develop into a mutual and concerted effort by both marriage

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She speaks of all the contribution most of the women make and that men never appreciate, things that men think are the obligation of the wife. For instance, the writer says, “I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it” (Brady 503). This explains that, men want everything to be done by their wife, so they can only have whatever they need without doing some effort. Another example the author gives is that men want everything from women to be done, even that women have the same rights and obligations as men.

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In “I Want a Wife,” an essay by Judy Brady, the author argues that the roles of a wife are unfair and more demanding than a husband 's, thereby they are treated as lesser than a man. Brady supports her claim by, first, introducing herself as a wife, showing her empirical knowledge; secondly, cataloging the unreasonable expectations of a wife; finally ending the essay with an emotional and thought-provoking statement, “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?” Brady’s purpose is to expose the inequality between the roles of a husband and of a wife in order to show that women do not belong to men and to persuade women to take action and spread feminism. Based on the sarcastic tone in “I Want a Wife,” Brady was writing to feminists in the 1960s in order to rally them to create change.

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