Guide to being the perfect wife

[Desi Cartman]

Does your wife flirt with other men at parties? Is she 'slow to get into bed'? Or is her favourite nail polish colour red? Well, if it is so, then get set and give her a score – courtesy 'Marital Ratings Scale' from the 1930s. Psychologists have unearthed the chart, which allowed husbands to evaluate their wives in the 1930s. In the chart, designed by an American academic, wives would lose points for being slow in getting into bed at night, failing to sew on buttons and darn socks or for wearing red nail polish. Also in the minus column were categories marked 'flirts with other men at parties' and 'goes to bed with curlers on her hair or face cream'. A wife could also lose points for putting her 'cold feet on her husband at night to warm them'. In the plus column, however, women were rated well for their conversation, delivering meals on time and for being a 'good hostess – even with unexpected guests'. Having a tidy house and putting the children to bed 'personally' were also deemed to be the wife's responsibility, reports The Scotsman . Also worthy of merit was the wife who 'never goes to bed angry'. The test also included categories on sex and swearing. A woman would lose five points for using 'slang or profanity'. But if she 'reacts with pleasure and delight to marital congress' she would gain ten points. By adding up the totals, wives would be rated from 'Very Poor' to 'Very Superior'. The test was designed by Dr George Crane, who wrote an agony-aunt style newspaper column called The Worry Clinic . He also ran a matchmaking service, which used the wife test as a guide to measure how compatible men and women were. And it's not just about wives, husbands too can be rated by following the guide. If your husband leaves his razor lying around the bathroom or is critical of the way you drive...then, you didn’t really make a smart choice in choosing your better half, at least that’s what the 'Marital Ratings Scale' suggests. The test listed 50 merits and 50 demerits. Each one was worth either one point or five. After answering all questions, the negative points would be subtracted from the positive. If a man scored between 0 and 24, he was deemed as 'Very poor' whereas if he scored 76 and above, a women had found herself a 'Very superior' husband. The first demerit on the list was to stare or flirt with other women while out with his wife – take away five points – and he would lose a point for talking about the 'efficiency of stenographer or other women'. Although some of the criticism is clearly dated, the crimes of leaving shoes in the living room or snoring were as irritating then as now. But husbands who were good humoured in the morning, helped with the dishes and remembered birthdays were and still would be greeted with approval.

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[Rajiv]

ur married, I was..whats ur take on this IMO: You can never understand women

[Desi Cartman]

ur married, I was..whats ur take on this IMO: You can never understand women

I have been married for just over a year so I dont have much experience. My brother just got divorced after 5 years of hell so I know how bad it can get ... as for the article .. no matter what anybody says (desi or videshi) I guess most men want women who are traditional , take care of the kids ... etc & most women also prefer to raise kids and stay at home (at least for few years) , husband who is well settled or has a bright future career wise .So this article is a little out dated but still I think majority of men still look for a woman who has these qualities .. Few things have changed though, guys do household work, women work these days ! Also now women also rate guys and see if they help at home , respect in laws , appreciate spouse's hard work etc etc

[fineleg]

& most women also prefer to raise kids and stay at home (at least for few years) ' date=

Not true. Some may, but to say "most" may be a big generalization that is not true today (@miT$ impure or pure indians notwithstanding).

[Desi Cartman]

Not true. Some may' date=' but to say "most" may be a big generalization that is not true today (@miT$ impure or pure indians notwithstanding).[/quote'] majority of women (desi or videshi ) I have met in my life would want to take couple of years off. Some can and some cant because of career and other commitments .. even I would want to stay home and spend time with my kid if I get an option to do that !

[fineleg]

1. sure anyone would be interested in taking a year or two off to "relax and enjoy the family" 2. But not specifically to "trade responsibility", trade the work to "take care of the home as 'primary caregiver' of doing chores" There is a difference. The former everyone will be happy (if they can afford to), and its not men vs women. Both will like it (if they can afford financially, professionally and socially)

[riya]

There are plenty of women who work abroad prefer not to have children at all . But those are minority . Majority is like what Desi-down under said .They love to have a peaceful family life then the career .

[fineleg]

riya, please define "peaceful family life"? 1. Is it equivalent to "house wife" who is more overworked at home than ever before? Juggling things at home can be as challenging if not more than juggling projects at work. 2. or does it mean, dont have to do challenging work at office, but also have a relatively relaxed life at home where you are not juggling too many priorities? And you have the independence and freedom to budget and spend money as per your discretion. which of these? If Financial freedom (aka independence and freedom to budget and spend money as per your discretion) is not there, and they have to depend on hubbies to make purchases for anything which is non-trivial (more than a certain $ or Rs)...they may have second thoughts...... Nothing like earning your money, and being responsible for the budget and money you earn

[riya]

By peaceful life ,i didn't mean ''house wife '' .But depends on the proffesion a woman is in .If she is having a high profile career ,it will be extremely difficult for her to manage .She will manage ,but it would be like 24/7 rush hour .I know a lot of my friends in US ,resigned their job to look after the kids as they found child care environment less healthy for their kids .Again there are exceptions .But our women ,indian women prefer that way .

[ludhianvi]

Raising kids is a full time job. Taking care of kids all day long, day in and out, can make you go crazy. Quite a few of the men are stay at home dads and they take care of the kids. This is primarily because the wife earns more than the man. Imagine someone becoming a stay-at-home dad in India and what the relatives and co. would say. The world is changing my friends and you are part of it.

[fineleg]

By peaceful life ,i didn't mean ''house wife '' .But depends on the proffesion a woman is in .If she is having a high profile career ,it will be extremely difficult for her to manage .She will manage ,but it would be like 24/7 rush hour .I know a lot of my friends in US ,resigned their job to look after the kids as they found child care environment less healthy for their kids .Again there are exceptions . But our women ,indian women prefer that way .

Maybe some are forced to prefer that way, or "trained from young to prefer" (preferences can be trained) But those are becoming things of the past