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‘Why I Want a Wife’: The overwhelmed working mom who pined for a wife 50 years ago

A half-century ago, thousands of women’s liberation movement supporters packed into San Francisco’s Union Square. They joined about 100,000 more in cities across the country on Aug. 26, 1970, celebrating the 50th anniversary of women’s suffrage in a protest called the Women’s Strike for Equality . It was in that public space, during the first major demonstration of the modern women’s movement, that the world first heard activist Judy Brady Syfers publicly long for a wife.

“I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care,” the housewife from San Francisco read into the microphone, her hands shaking during her first time ever speaking in front of a crowd.

“I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after me,” she stated, appealing to all housewives around the country whose husbands took them for granted.

“I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school,” said Brady Syfers, who was married to a professor at nearby San Francisco State.

“I was terrified,” Brady Syfers recalled in a 2007 NPR radio interview. “There were lots of hecklers — up near the stage I can remember hearing them as I read, which only egged me on.”

When she finished her list of sometimes sarcastic, sometimes funny, but very realistic demands, the crowd of women roared as they recognized themselves in her words. The short satire was mentioned in television, radio and newspaper reports about the demonstration across the country, she said in a 2005 taped interview with her daughter, Maia Syfers.

A mother's letter, a son's choice and the incredible moment women won the right to vote

After that exhilarating moment, the essay went on to define the women’s movement of the 1970s. It resurfaces often as a feminist classic — a treatise about an imbalance between the sexes that still resonates today as the country marks the 100th anniversary of suffrage.

Earlier this year, as parents struggled to home-school their children during the pandemic, the New York Times commissioned a poll by Morning Consult on the division of labor between couples. Nearly half of fathers with children younger than 12 said they were devoting more time to educating their kids than their spouses, but just 3 percent of women agreed with that assessment.

Fifty years ago, “Why I Want a Wife” started simply as a housewife’s complaints about the lack of recognition for women’s work.

In 1968, Brady Syfers was a faculty wife with two small children. The end of that year her husband got involved with a strike at his university, San Francisco State, that called for creating a Black and ethnic studies department at the majority White school.

Brady Syfers opened up her house as a fundraising headquarters for the strike . Week after week, she organized, fed and worked with the student and faculty strikers, from 7 in the morning until late into the night. For the first time in her life, Brady Syfers was politically active, and she loved it.

“It was exhilarating to be involved in something outside the four walls of my home,” she said in the NPR interview.

When the strike ended five months later — the longest student-led strike in U.S. higher education history — the Black Student Union had a meeting celebrating its win and to thank participants who worked on the strike. Her husband, James Syfers, was given a note of special thanks for raising money. But Brady Syfers was never mentioned.

Feeling angry and unappreciated, “I decided it was time for me to look for the women’s movement,” she said in the 2005 interview.

She found a nearby women’s consciousness-raising group at San Francisco’s Glide Memorial Church, where she met Pam Allen, now known as Chude Allen.

“When I first met Judy, she described herself as a disenfranchised and fired housewife,” Allen said in a phone interview. “She was angry.”

The more Brady Syfers began examining her role in society, the angrier she became. It wasn’t just being overlooked during the student strike. She had faced sexism her whole life.

During college at the University of Iowa, she studied painting and was quite talented, according to Maia Syfers. That’s where she met James Syfers, her future husband. After earning a BFA, she wanted to pursue a master’s degree. To do so, she had to go before a committee who would recommend her to further her studies. At the meeting, the all-male committee told her that she had the talent but that there wasn’t much purpose in going for a master’s — because no university would hire a woman.

She was devastated, her daughter said.

In consciousness-raising meetings at Glide, Brady Syfers began to describe what Betty Friedan’s pioneering book, “ The Feminine Mystique ,” called “the problem that has no name.”

“I was an isolated housewife who had never worked outside the house, and I was badly depressed, miserable and confused about it,” Brady Syfers said in 2007. “I had no idea why I was so depressed.”

Except for “The Feminine Mystique,” Brady Syfers said there was no language in the late 1960s to talk about female unhappiness.

“If you wanted to know anything about women, you went to the Ladies’ Home Journal. That’s all there was,” she said in 2007.

She explained that nothing was written for, by and about women’s collective experience — their history, their psychology, their daily lives. In 1969, the three-year-old National Organization for Women was still considered a small group, Brady Syfers said in 2005.

The bra-burning feminist trope started at Miss America. Except, that’s not what really happened.

The women’s movement of the early 1970s “was an outgrowth of the civil rights movement,” she said. “But it was very much kind of sub rosa. And of course, it was treated scathingly by men and the media.”

Consciousness-raising groups were mocked by men, but Brady Syfers said the sessions were defiant political acts.

Women around the country were pooling personal experiences to create a social, historical analysis of women’s condition. It was a revolution in thinking, she said. Soon a whole women’s press movement publishing feminist pamphlets and underground newspapers exploded around the country, led by the radical Redstockings group in New York.

It was at a consciousness-raising group that Brady Syfers began listing her grievances about the strains of being a housewife. As she talked, the list grew longer and longer until finally someone in the group challenged her to write it down.

So she went home and started writing. Two hours later, she had finished “Why I Want a Wife.” She presented it at the next group meeting, and members applauded. Brady Syfers was thrilled with the response.

“Why I Want a Wife” was first published in a Bay-area feminist underground newspaper called “Tooth and Nail,” according to Allen. The essay began being reprinted in other feminist underground presses across the country during 1970 and 1971.

Meanwhile, in New York activist Gloria Steinem and a group of feminists including Letty Cotton Pogrebin began collecting stories to include in a national magazine to unite and give voice to women’s liberation followers across the nation. In December 1971, the inaugural issue of Ms. Magazine appeared as an insert in New York magazine. That issue included “Why I Want a Wife.”

“We reprinted it so more readers could have the laughter and wisdom that comes from reversing unequal roles,” Steinem wrote in an email.

“I wish it weren’t still relevant but even though many marriages have become more equal, Judy’s words live on,” Steinem said.

“It had a seismic impact,” Pogrebin said in a phone interview. “It didn’t exaggerate what sex roles were all about. Women were expected to do it all.”

Pogrebin pointed out that the theme of “Why I Want a Wife,” which was changed to “I Want a Wife” in Ms., matched the cover of the inaugural issue, which showed a multi-handed Hindu goddess as a housewife juggling more tasks than were humanly possible.

After its publication in Ms., “Why I Want a Wife” became known around the world. “My mother always kind of joked a little bit about ‘Why I Want a Wife,’ because it became so popular,” Syfers said. “It’s paid royalties every year since it was published in Ms. and hundreds of books.”

Brady Syfers ended up getting a divorce years later and reverted to her original name, Judy Brady. She remained an activist in San Francisco the rest of her life, fighting for the rights of women, the disabled and breast cancer survivors. In May 2017, she died at age 80 and a memorial service at the Women’s Building in San Francisco celebrated her life of activism, Maia Syfers said.

“She was proud of ‘Why I Want a Wife,” but I think she was surprised at how iconic it became. She said it came right from her gut.”

Read more Retropolis:

She coined the term ‘glass ceiling.’ She fears it will outlive her.

She said her boss raped her in a bank vault. Her sexual harassment case would make legal history.

She was attacked 50 years ago for being a woman in the Boston Marathon. Then she ran it again at 70.

i want a wife judy brady thesis statement

Judy Brady's Legendary Feminist Satire, "I Want a Wife"

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One of the best-remembered pieces from the premiere issue of Ms . magazine is “I Want a Wife.” Judy Brady’s (then Judy Syfers) tongue-in-cheek essay explained in one page what all too many men had taken for granted about “housewives.”

What Does a Wife Do?

“I Want a Wife” was a humorous piece that also made a serious point: Women who played the role of “wife” did many helpful things for husbands and usually children without anyone realizing. Even less, it wasn't acknowledged that these “wife’s tasks” could have been done by someone who wasn’t a wife, such as a man.

“I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me."

The desired wife tasks included:

  • Work to support us so I can go back to school
  • Take care of the children, including feeding them and nurturing them, keeping them clean, taking care of their clothes, taking care of their schooling and social life
  • Keep track of doctor and dentist appointments
  • Keep my house clean and pick up after me
  • See to it that my personal things are where I can find them when I need them
  • Take care of the babysitting arrangements
  • Be sensitive to my sexual needs
  • But do not demand attention when I am not in the mood
  • Do not bother me with complaints about a wife’s duties

The essay fleshed out these duties and listed others. The point, of course, was that housewives were expected to do all these things, but no one ever expected a man to be capable of these tasks. The underlying question of the essay was “Why?”

Striking Satire

At the time, “I Want a Wife” had the humorous effect of surprising the reader because a woman was the one asking for a wife. Decades before gay marriage became a commonly discussed subject, there was only one person who had a wife: a privileged male husband. But, as the essay famously concluded, “who wouldn’t want a wife?”

Judy Brady was inspired to write her famous piece at a feminist consciousness-raising session . She was complaining about the issue when someone said, “Why don’t you write about it?” She went home and did so, completing the essay within a few hours.

Before it was printed in Ms ., “I Want a Wife” was first delivered aloud in San Francisco on Aug 26, 1970. Judy (Syfers) Brady read the piece at a rally celebrating the 50 th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the U.S. , obtained in 1920. The rally packed a huge crowd into Union Square; hecklers stood near the stage as "I Want a Wife" was read.

Lasting Fame

Since “I Want a Wife” appeared in Ms ., the essay has become legendary in feminist circles. In 1990, Ms . reprinted the piece. It is still read and discussed in women’s studies classes and mentioned in blogs and news media. It is often used as an example of satire and humor in the feminist movement .

Judy Brady later became involved in other social justice causes, crediting her time in the feminist movement with being foundational for her later work.

Echoes of the Past: The Supportive Role of Wives

Judy Brady does not mention knowing an essay by Anna Garlin Spencer from much earlier in the 20th century, and may not have known it, but this echo from the so-called first wave of feminism shows that the ideas in "I Want a Wife" were in the minds of other women, too, 

In "The Drama of the Woman Genius" (collected in Woman's Share in Social Culture ), Spencer addresses women's chances for achievement the supportive role that wives had played for many famous men, and how many famous women, including Harriet Beecher Stowe , had the responsibility for childcare and housekeeping as well as writing or other work. Spencer writes, “A successful woman preacher was once asked what special obstacles have you met as a woman in the ministry? Not one, she answered, except the lack of a minister's wife.”

Edited and with additional content by  Jone Johnson Lewis

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Rhetoric Analysis “I Want a Wife” by Judy Brady

  • Rhetoric Analysis “I Want a…

Judy Brady’s essay  I Want a Wife  generally applies several anecdotes to explore the demands of being a wife and gender roles and expectations. Speaking from her own experience, Brady is bitter about how demanding being a wife is and how the same demands are not expected of men. Overall, Brady’s concern is that the imbalance between gender roles and exaggerated expectations leaves women disadvantaged, hence emphasizing gender inequality within families and in society.

Brady applies satire to address the burdens of being a wife and make her argument compelling to evoke engagement in the audience. Besides, the author’s style and article’s structure combine ethos, pathos, and logos to address the overall theme of female suppression in society. Therefore, the author successfully appeals to the readers’ emotions, reason, and values, which garners sympathy for the author and women, especially when gender equality, women empowerment or suffrage, and the civil rights movement were a priority for society.

The author appeals to pathos to persuade the reader by purposely evoking sympathy and making them feel what the author feels about women being overburdened. Brady uses personal experience and a satirical tone to discuss the exaggerated expectations society expects from wives. The author’s concern is motivated by how easy it is for men to move into new marriages because they do not bear the same burdens and responsibilities as women.

Brady writes, “Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is looking for another wife” (Brady). The male friend’s situation makes Brady realize that men expect so much from wives as the family’s support system, who have to take care of children, address familial needs, manage the household, and support the husband to achieve his dreams. The societal expectation of a wife to multitask and be indispensable to the man and the family is the source of Brady’s frustration, inviting the audience to see things from her point of view by appealing to pathos throughout the essay. 

Brady also appeals to logic by appealing to the reader’s sense of reason particularly by providing facts. The examples the author provides are suitable for the overall argument and fit perfectly in the 1970s when the article was written. Men and society have various perspectives on the roles and responsibilities of wives even if the expectations suppress women more than men. Brady argues that marriage transforms men and women differently and the transformation disfavors the latter more. Women must take care of household duties, seek opinions from their husbands, fulfill all needs, be available and supportive, and be responsible wives.

The 1970s saw much of the women’s rights movement’s efforts and marches focus on pushing for gender equality in universities and workplaces. Feminists specifically sought more hospitable spaces for women and created more policies to create equal opportunities and ban sexual harassment.  I Want a Wife  contributed to the women’s suffrage protests in this period, although on a different front. The author’s realistic demands resonated with many women and defined the women’s movement as a feminist classic that highlighted gender imbalance, a problem that persists today.

Furthermore, the author appeals to credibility by tapping into the readers’ ideologies and values, especially dignity for all, feminism, and equality. Brady explores the various roles in different sectors in the essay but maintains the words “I want a wife” for each to highlight the sarcasm and humor to maintain the essay’s overall objective to sensitize the audience about female suppression. In the introduction, Brady uses her personal experience to get the audience to understand her general argument and to make her feelings about the issue known. In paragraph one Brady lists the maternal roles of a wife, including being an excellent nurturant, organizing the children’s social life, and addressing the children’s health needs, among others.

The second paragraph addresses the wife’s domestic roles, like cleaning the house, keeping clothes clean, ironing grocery shopping, and relieving her husband’s stress and pain. The third paragraph explores the wife’s mechanical responsibilities, where she has to understand and explain her husband’s difficulties and type papers the husband writes. In paragraph 4, Brady explains the social roles and expectations, including playing hostess to her husband’s friends, meeting the man’s acquaintances, and not interrupting conversations.

The sixth paragraph explores the wife’s sexual responsibilities, such as sexually satisfying the man, birth control, and remaining faithful. Lastly, Brady discusses the woman’s disposable or replaceable role in case the husband wants a new partner, including raising the children independently (Brady). The structure allows Brady to explore women as unequal partners in marriage and contribute extensively to the female suppression theme. 

In conclusion, Brady combines personal experience, logic, and values to discuss a prevalent societal issue in I Want a Wife. Throughout history, society has laid out gender roles and expectations that favor men and suppress women. I Want a Wife is among feminists and women’s suffrage efforts to achieve gender equality and female empowerment. The essay, therefore, achieves the author’s overall objective of enlightening the audience about female suppression within the marriage scope and persuading them to see from her point of view to incentivize sympathy.

Brady, Judy. “Why I want a wife.”  75 Readings: An Anthology  (1972): 325-327.

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Judy Brady’s “I Want a Wife” as Feminist Manifesto

Judy Brady’s I Want a Wife is a feminist manifesto that dissects the early 1970s’ social stereotypes about the role of women in marriage and motherhood. Using rhetorical language, she paints a rather impressive new perspective of the seemingly familiar and clichéd picture of a married woman. Her essay is a pure satire that represents an unpleasant aspect of the society’s ubiquitous consumer behavior towards women and their value. With a brilliant and humorous writing, Brady uncovers a cultural misconception of woman’s main role in life. Moreover, she decides to condemn the men’s opinion on the matter, ultimately persuading both men and women to notice the heavy toll of masculine privileges. The author intends to make a deep impact on society’s view of gender roles and how unjustly the responsibilities are divided. Throughout her essay, Brady uses numerous rhetorical strategies to achieve these goals. The mocking and humorous tone of the essay illustrates author’s heartfelt beliefs that the social issue of gender unfairness truly exists. She strives to leave a lasting impact engraved in her readers’ minds to ponder on every time the topic comes up in their future conversations.

It is clear that Brady tells her audience right away her position on the matter by stating “I belong to that classification of people known as wives” as her opening line (1). She hooks her readers, using emotions and sympathy to take over her desired audience’s attention without hesitation. After her second statement “And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother” (1), the obviousness of the stereotype that Brady is now pointing out rises into the question, calling to the women who do not wish to uphold that standard. Of course, a man has the right to have children, acidly comments Brady, and his wife must obey his wish – she is his property, after all. From there on, she describes rather harshly all the reasons why she would like to have a wife. The author recalls each of the particular expectations placed on women in general and gives the mocking impression that these specific responsibilities are the only purpose in life for any woman. It almost feels like to the reader that Brady agrees with men on how a proper wife should behave.

However, the reader only needs to follow the author a little further to understand that she, in fact, despises masculine point of view. Using simple statements and almost Aristotelian logic, Brady depicts the conflict behind the sorority’s roles in society: how demanding yet self-degrading they are becoming. The author lists women’s responsibilities somewhat sporadically, apparently out of order of importance. Her list ranges from emphasizing maternal responsibilities, outlining mandatory housewife chores, to the sexual life expectations men place on the married women, without structuring it. Respectively, this leads to a “ranting” impression of her essay, which reflects the author’s point of view. However, what Brady truly seeks to achieve is for her male readers to constantly read this phrase and see how ridiculous their demands are. The author ends her essay with a rhetorical yet deep question “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?” (2) that asks the reader to reflect on the answer. This awareness is the glue that holds her whole argument together. Finally, a potentially life-changing paragraph concludes the essay, calling the readers to analyze not only the society’s rotten view on the women’s value, but their own judgement on the matter, too.

Works Cited

Brady, Judy. I Want a Wife , Ms. Magazine, 1972, pp. 1–2.

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Family Issues in “I Want a Wife” by Judy Brady Essay (Article Review)

What is the article about?

The article is about family issues. It resembles soap operas.

What is the style of the article?

The style of writing was descriptive writing. I think so because it focused on describing the character (wife). It was also poetic and the desirable wife was described in detail.

What is the tone of the article?

The tone of the article was depressing. This is so because the author seems to be in deep thought and facing serious difficulties that lead her to consider getting a ‘wife’.

List at least 10 vocabularies that you are interested in or hardly understand

The vocabularies included nurturant, hours, d’oeuvres, rambling, replenish, clutter, liberty, intellectual, adherence, and monogamy.

Summary of the article

In the first paragraph, the author clarified that she was a wife and a mother. In the second paragraph, she talks of a man she met recently. The man had been recently divorced and was looking for another wife. This is where the thought of having a wife came to the author. In the third paragraph, the author explained the reasons why she needed a wife. She was thinking of furthering her studies and becoming financially stable. She also needed a wife that would take care of the children’s needs. This individual had to ensure that the children were well fed and clothed. The children’s social needs also had to be addressed.

In the fourth paragraph, the author argued that she needed a wife that would take care of her physical needs. The individual had to do her house chores, ensure that her clothes were clean, ironed, and mended, cook her meals, and do the shopping. She also needed that person who would go on vacation with her family and take care of them whenever they need. In the fifth paragraph, the author explained that she needed a wife who would simply work and not complain about her duties. She also needed to be a good listener so that she would listen to her as she presents her issues.

In the sixth paragraph, the author needed a wife who would take care of her social life. This included taking care of her children as she went to meet her friends. She was also to attend to the visitors that came visiting. In the seventh paragraph, the author expressed her desire to have a wife that would take care of her sexual needs. The wife had to be faithful and understanding. In the eighth paragraph, the author elaborates that she needs the freedom to exchange the wife for any other suitable one. In the ninth paragraph, she expects the wife to quit working when she clears school. The wife would take care of all duties. Finally, she wonders who would not want a wife.

What kind of reader do you think the author was writing for?

I think the author was writing mainly to young single mothers. This is so because she talks of a wife and a mother. From the way she presents her ideas, she appears to be a single mother since she was thinking of a recently divorced man and empathized with him. She seems to be going through the same thing the man is going through. The struggles of a single mother seem to be highlighted in detail. These include the responsibilities of raising children and the need to get space that would allow her to do other things besides taking care of her children. She feels like her social life has been affected since she does not have adequate time with her friends.

Do you agree or disagree with the author’s opinion? What does the author want to inform us? Do you think the author is trying to convince the reader to do or feel something?

I agreed with some of the author’s ideas but disagreed with the one to do with seeking sexual fulfillment from the wife and demanding freedom to replace the wife for another. This is a persuasive article since the author is trying to convince the reader to feel something. The author is trying to convince the readers about the importance of having a wife. She does this by presenting an argument while establishing facts to support it. She was trying to convince the reader to agree with her judgment and to adopt her way of thinking about women in her situation. It is a persuasive essay since it was quite convincing. She was confident in putting across her ideas and values.

The author also tried to persuade the reader to adopt her way of thinking by writing from the reader’s perspective. This way, she was able to catch the reader’s attention. She finished by asking why anyone would not want to have a wife. This highlights that the values placed for a wife were those that anyone would want to have. Surely, anyone would want to have such a wife – who would do all you want her to do but at the same time give you the space that you need.

The hardest paragraph to understand

The hardest paragraph to understand was the ninth one. This is because she seems to be talking about two different people when referring to the wife. She says that she wants a wife who will take care of her wife’s duties.

I Want a Wife. Judy Brady.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Family Issues in "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady." June 8, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/i-want-a-wife-article-by-judy-brady/.

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Judy Brady’s I Want a Wife: Summary and Theme: BBS First

i want a wife judy brady thesis statement

The theme of Judy Brady’s I Want a Wife

In Judy Brady’s I Want a Wife, the author talks about all the responsibilities you fulfill as a wife and mother, and then how you want someone to do the housework. She wants a wife because She wants to be independent.

The writer is not happy with what she is doing as a wife. She takes care of her children, does household chores, and takes care of her husband. Her speaker wants to have more time for herself and become an independent woman. Her desire for women comes after her recently divorced friend of hers listed everything a woman needs to do for him. She laments that she is expected to cook, clean, look after children, and please her husband in romantic ways. She doesn’t want to do that anymore and wants to live a life with a wife of her own. When she gets tired of this woman, she starts looking for a new woman who will take over all the duties of her previous woman.

Brady’s essays use satire, irony, and hyperbole to draw attention to these issues and call for changes in societal expectations and gender roles.

Summary of Judy Brady’s I Want a Wife

I Want a Wife is a 1971 essay by Judy Brady for Feminist magazine. This essay is a satirical and sarcastic commentary on society’s expectations of women, especially regarding marriage and domestic responsibilities.

In her essay, Brady lists various responsibilities and duties that women typically perform, such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare. She further argues that while men are expected to have wives who tend to those needs, women are similarly not expected to have husbands who care for them. It uses it to highlight the double standards and inequalities that exist in society’s expectations of men and women.

Throughout her essays, Brady uses a combination of humor, sarcasm and hyperbole to get her point across. For example, she writes that she wants a woman who “takes care of her physical needs” and “keep her house clean” so she can “focus on her studies and career development.” She also wrote that she wanted a woman who “served my social needs” and “kept me up to date on current affairs” while at the same time being “attractive and a good conversationalist.”

In conclusion, the essay argues that society’s expectations of men and women are different and that the traditional roles of men and women are often unfair and unjust. , helped raise awareness of the problems women faced in the 1970s, such as the expectation that women should be in charge of household chores and the lack of opportunities women faced in the job market. It continues to be read and researched and makes a strong call for gender equality and a fair division of household chores.

Issue of Gender Inequality in I Want a Wife

A key issue that Judy Brady raises in her essay I Want a Wife is gender inequality and what society expects of men and women. While women grapple with the expectation that they should have wives to take care of their own needs and do household chores, women are likewise not expected to have husbands to take care of themselves.

Brady also highlights the lack of opportunities for women in the workforce and the societal expectation that women should be responsible for household chores.She expects men to share household responsibilities equally. I wonder why it is not and why women are not given the same opportunities as men in the world of work.

In summary, the main issues Brady raises in her essay are gender inequality and social expectations placed on men and women, and how these expectations translate into lack of opportunities and unequal distribution of work at home. 

Important questions of “I Want a Wife”

1. Why are social expectations and gender roles so unequal, that men are expected to have wives who meet their needs and take care of the housework, while women are expected to have husbands who look after them? Aren’t we equally expected to have

2. Why is it that a woman is expected to do all the household chores and take care of her husband and children, but a man is not expected to do the same?

3. How do these societal expectations and gender roles contribute to lack of opportunities and unequal distribution of work at home?

4. Why aren’t women getting the same opportunities as men in the world of work and society?

5. How these societal expectations and gender roles affect the lives of men and women, and how we can change that for the betterment of society.

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The Significance of Judy Brady’s Article, I Want a Wife, in Today’s Community

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  1. I Want a Wife: Analysis of Judy Brady's Main Thesis

    I Want a Wife: Analysis of Judy Brady's Main Thesis. As the quote by Wyland says, "The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.". I found this quote and took it into a different direction. This was by viewing women as the "ocean" and the "heart" as men, it shows through this quote and could ...

  2. PDF I Want a Wife (1971)

    JUDY BRADY I Want a Wife (1971) Judy Brady's essay became an instant classic when it appeared in 1971 in the premier issue of the feminist magazine Ms. As you read, analyze the definitions of "husband" and "wife" that Brady uses, and consider why this essay became so powerful in the 1970s.

  3. 'Why I Want a Wife': Feminist Judy Brady Syfer's essay appeals to

    Advertisement. "I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes ...

  4. Judy Brady's Article "I Want a Wife": Analysis

    In Judy Brady's satirical essay, "I Want a Wife," originally published in 1972 in Ms. Magazine, she employs humor and irony to shed light on the prevalent gender inequalities and societal expectations of the time. Through her witty and exaggerated portrayal of a wife's role in the 1970s household, Brady aims to provoke thought and discussion ...

  5. I Want a Wife: Judy Brady's Legendary Feminist Satire

    Since "I Want a Wife" appeared in Ms ., the essay has become legendary in feminist circles. In 1990, Ms. reprinted the piece. It is still read and discussed in women's studies classes and mentioned in blogs and news media. It is often used as an example of satire and humor in the feminist movement . Judy Brady later became involved in ...

  6. Analysis of Rhetorical Devices Used in Judy Brady's I Want a Wife

    The essay "Why I Want a Wife", written by Judy Brady in 1970 immediately took to the headlines, seen as a piece that encompassed and critiqued the stereotypical life of a wife in the mid 1900's. Brady, ... I Want A Wife: Analysis of Judy Brady's Main Thesis Essay. As the quote by Wyland says, "The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the ...

  7. Gender Studies: "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady

    Later, in 1990, the article was reprinted with a title "Why I Still Want a Wife" (Judy Brady, par. 1). General Summary. The essay "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady is designed to demonstrated the demands and pressure put on married women by their husbands and the society. The author shows what men want to see in a good wife.

  8. Analysis of "I Want A Wife," by Judy Brady.

    Judy Brady originally gave it as a speech marking the 50th anniversary of suffrage in America to a crowd of women's-rights activists. It was written first and foremost to feminists, and as such it lacks elements that might persuade a wider audience. For instance, the man is completely left out of the conversation that it brings up, so there ...

  9. Rhetoric Analysis "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady

    Judy Brady's essay I Want a Wife generally applies several anecdotes to explore the demands of being a wife and gender roles and expectations. Speaking from her own experience, Brady is bitter about how demanding being a wife is and how the same demands are not expected of men. Overall, Brady's concern is that the imbalance between.

  10. Rhetorical Analysis of 'I Want A Wife'

    The purpose of the feminist movement was to have a right to vote and have the same equal rights as male citizens. Judy Brady's essay "I Want A Wife" first appeared in the Ms. Magazine's inaugural issue in 1971. The genre of the article is a classic piece of feminist humor and is depicted as satirical prose. In this essay Brady aims to ...

  11. Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife" as Feminist Manifesto

    Judy Brady's I Want a Wife is a feminist manifesto that dissects the early 1970s' social stereotypes about the role of women in marriage and motherhood. Using rhetorical language, she paints a rather impressive new perspective of the seemingly familiar and clichéd picture of a married woman. Her essay is a pure satire that represents an ...

  12. PDF I want a wife by Judy Brady

    Judy Brady was born in 1937 in San Francisco and was educated at the University of Iowa where she received her B.F.A. in 1962. She became a free-lance writer during the 1960s and has written articles on such issues as abortion, education, and the labor and women's movements for variety of publications. The provocative essay reprinted here first ...

  13. Family Issues in "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady

    Summary of the article. In the first paragraph, the author clarified that she was a wife and a mother. In the second paragraph, she talks of a man she met recently. The man had been recently divorced and was looking for another wife. This is where the thought of having a wife came to the author.

  14. Essay: 'I Want a Wife' by Judy Brady Summary

    Download. "I Want a Wife" is a satirical essay written by Judy Brady in 1971 that delves into the societal expectations and inequalities faced by women in marriage. Through a clever and humorous narrative, Brady assumes the role of a wife who lists all the attributes she desires in her ideal partner. However, upon closer examination, it becomes ...

  15. Understanding "Why I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady

    Judy Brady's essay, "Why I Want a Wife," is a thought-provoking piece that challenges societal norms and gender roles. Originally published in Ms. Magazine in 1972, Brady's essay is a satirical take on the expectations placed on wives and women in traditional marriages. Through her humorous and biting commentary, Brady highlights the unequal ...

  16. i Want a Wife Judy Brady Thesis Statement

    i Want a Wife Judy Brady Thesis Statement - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site.

  17. I Want a Wife by subham gupta on Prezi

    I Want a Wife - Judy Brady Contents About the essay and its purpose Summarising the essay About the author - Judy Brady About the essay and its purpose Style and Structure Summarising the essay Introduction Thesis Statement Roles and Responsibilities of a wife Conclusion Why the. Get started for FREE Continue.

  18. i Want a Wife Judy Brady Thesis

    i Want a Wife Judy Brady Thesis - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site.

  19. I Want a Wife by Judy Brady: Female Emancipation and The Glass Ceiling

    Introduction ''I Want a Wife'' written by Judy Brady, in 1971, after the Women's Rights Movement began in the USA, is an important feminist statement that makes readers think and question the place of women in society.

  20. Judy Brady's I Want a Wife: Summary and Theme: BBS First

    I Want a Wife is a 1971 essay by Judy Brady for Feminist magazine. This essay is a satirical and sarcastic commentary on society's expectations of women, especially regarding marriage and domestic responsibilities. In her essay, Brady lists various responsibilities and duties that women typically perform, such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare.

  21. I Want a Wife by Judy Brady Journal Essay

    Total Length: 993 words ( 3 double-spaced pages) Total Sources: 3. Page 1 of 3. Wife," Judy Brady uses satire and sarcasm to critique gender roles in traditional marriage relationships. To achieve her goals in the essay, the author writes in first person, specifically from the perspective of someone who lists the qualities she wants or expects ...

  22. Review of Judy Brady's Article, I Want a Wife

    In her essay, "I Want a Wife," Judy Brady explores society's expectations on women's roles in a marital household during the early 1970s. Using rhetoric, she strategically places a rather impactful, new viewpoint into the minds of her readers in just under two pages. The entirety of the essay is one long satire, reading like a list and ...

  23. The Significance of Judy Brady's Article, I Want a Wife, in Today's

    Judy Brady wrote her essay, "I Want a Wife," as a description of the "modern" 1972 wife and what's expected of her. The question is, though, does it hold... read full [Essay Sample] for free ... I Want A Wife: Analysis of Judy Brady's Main Thesis Essay. As the quote by Wyland says, "The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and ...