It's a common joke that women go to business school less for an MBA, and more for an MRS degree (click here for our favorite Columbia follies video: "I'm in business school to get me my MRS; the returns on a marriage are worth the debt..."). B-school women (who typically comprise 30% of an MBA class), on the other hand, complain that "The odds are good, but the goods are odd."
Don't be extravagant. Nothing appeals more strongly to a man than the prospect of economic independence.
Keep your home clean. Nothing is more refreshing to the eyes of the tired, nerve-racked worker than the sight of a well-tidied home.
Do not permit your person to become unattractive. A slovenly wife makes a truant husband.
Do not receive attention from other men. Husbands are often jealous and some are suspicious without cause. Do not supply the cause. Friendly attentions from others may be received in a spirit of perfect innocence. When reported by the busy-body they become distorted, often criminal.
Do not resent reasonable discipline of children by their father. Mothers should not assume that all chastisement of a child by his father is severe and unjustifiable.
Do not spend too much time with your mother. You may easily, in such a way, spend too little time at home.
Do not accept advice from neighbors, or even stress too greatly that of your own family. Think for yourself. Have a plan of your own for solution of home problems. In all causes consult freely with your husband.
Do not disparage your husband.
Smile. Be attentive in little things. An indifferent wife is often supplanted by an ardent mistress.
Be tactful. Be feminine. Men, in the last analysis, are but over-grown children. They do not mind coaxing, but they resent coercion. Femininity attracts and compels them. Masculinity in the females repels.
But what about business school wives (who just love the acronym, MBA = "Married But Available")? Turns out it's quite an active club. It feels that I get lessons "from the other side" daily, with invitations ranging from fun events like wine tastings and NYC "behind the scenes" tours, to others that make it feel like a time warp to the 1950s (including cooking classes and make-up events).
Today's lesson is a link to "10 Rules for Wives", compiled by the Legal Aid Society of New York City in 1923. Strangely, this list is not so different from the "rules" that Tyler and I were beaten over the head with during marriage preparation class in Delhi last year. Here goes:
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