I knew a "Trad Wife".

[Joinfortmill]

25. So much to unpack here. But, first, thank you for helping a battered woman. Not all attorney's would have...

This post has struck a long buried nerve in me. In the 50's, 60's and even the 70's until the women's movement took hold, almost every wife was a 'Trad' wife. And many women have stories: Stories about husbands beating them, raping them, taking control of their money, keeping them from working outside the home or educating themselves, monitoring their 'free' time. Some just came home and smacked their wives around because they had a bad day at work. Essentially many trad wives were prisoners, not just of their husbands but of society as a whole.

And, parents, siblings, and friends stayed out of it. As for lawyers, I have my own story about one of them, too. You see, the prevailing attitude was if your husband was mistreating you, it must be your fault. You, the beaten down, the overworked, the slapped around must be doing something to deserve this, Or worse, they blamed you because you had the bad judgement to marry the bum in the first place. Until the women's movement, there was very little support for women in these situations. Society SHAMED you for being beaten, controlled, stalked, and often raped, which was the husband's right, by the way.

All that changed for me when I read Simone de Beauvoir's book, Second Sex. I recommend everyone read it, but especially women. It will clear the cobwebs from your psyche and give you a very different view of yourself.

One final word, there are many, many fine men out there. I raised one myself. I thank God for them. To women I say, be very discerning in your choices and listen to that little voice that keeps telling you, something is 'off' here. Peace.