Many teachers and parents had narrow expectations for girls whose destiny was to be marriage, a home and a family, with work just an interim measure between leaving school and walking down the aisle, rather than a career. Her highest priority and aim in life is living for Christ, which shapes how she thinks and conducts herself in every arena of life: work, relationships, church, and free time. A confusing enough mix which, when coupled with poor sexual education, lead to a predictable number of shotgun weddings or quiet adoptions. The opposite is no longer feasible and when it was happening it was just another form of slavery that never made women happy.

Take Liz, who was 19 when she married David in 1952 and promptly produced six children alongside running a shabby, unheated farmhouse, providing all the meals, doing some gardening and generally helping out on the farm. During the late 1800s, women in East Asian society were expected to master domestic skills such as sewing and cooking, and to develop the moral and intellectual skills to raise strong, intelligent sons for the sake of the nation. She understands that no one is perfect, including herself and her partner, and is capable of forgiving mistakes and moving forward. Tells the story of women in the 1950s: a time before the Pill, when divorce spelled scandal and two-piece swimsuits caused mass alarm. The WI started off in the 19th Century, enraged by high infant mortality rates and determined to educate and mobilize woman to combat issues such as poor hygiene, a lack of family planning, and alcohol abuse.Being considerate and understanding of your partner’s needs and sharing household duties contributes to a healthy marriage. The magazine Good Housekeeping, which by 1957 had a circulation of over 200,000, opens a window on to the imperatives of the 1950s homemaker. As an independent minded woman with feminist tendencies, I was shocked by some of the restrictions society imposed on women at that time.

During the 1890s, "good wife and wise mother" was taught only in the higher levels where elite, upper-class girls attended. She is marked by a heavenly peace, which can comfort and encourage her husband in uncertain or trying times.Propelled by her earning power, by a new sense of purpose, and abetted by her mother, Leila started to enter more beauty contests around the region.

Her mother sent her for elocution lessons to eradicate her Birmingham accent, but in between she was still washing glasses and pulling pints in the family’s pub. I also thought there could have been a lot of improvement in the analysis contained in the book-- it was negligible and scattershot.Even though the Asian suitable wife is usually beautiful and fervent, not every woman has these kinds of qualities. The advent of birth control meant that women were able to take control of their bodies and have a say in the number of children they gave birth to, a right denied to previous generations. I added so many of Nicholson’s source books to my own to-be-read list and can’t wait to learn more about some of the fascinating women introduced to me here. Throughout the book, she treats certain topics as though they are relics of the past, specific to the 1950s, when if fact they persisted long past that decade.

In one case, a woman was committed to an "insane asylum" where after having confessed that she "had feelings for women," was sent for "aversion therapy," that "wrecked her for months. Asian ladies also tend being gentle and peaceful, thus a man looking for this kind of qualities may well be very good in finding his ideal better half. Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes… poignantly illustrates how the women of the 1950s yearned for the innovative technology of the era to liberate them from repetitive drudgery. Told through women's lives and their stories, using a variety of different sources for these stories.

A world where the darker side of the decade encompasses rampant prostitution, a notorious murder, and the threat of nuclear disaster. There is warmth in [Nicholson's] curiosity as she delves into the stories of her mother's generation. A Christian wife can partake in nearly all aspects of life that a husband does without undermining his leadership.