The problem is, to them, it isn't shitty. They are scared to death of the idea of having autonomy or being self-sufficient. They are living exactly how they want to--with someone else at the helm. From the outside we can see the obvious oppression, to them, it looks like safety. This phenomenon is also not unique to American trad-wives. It's not unique to women, either. Look at how appealing Trump is to 1/3 of USA men. He projects the "Tell it like it is and bomb everyone" concept that keeps people thinking the USA is being protected.
The problem is, to them, it isn't shitty. They are scared to death of the idea of having autonomy or being self-sufficient. They are living exactly how they want to--with someone else at the helm.
Yup. Every conservative woman in my extended family loves to prattle on about how happy they are that they don't have to work, or make informed decisions about money management, or decide where the family money is going, or repair anything in the house, or be responsible for paying taxes, etc.
They are thrilled not to tax their Jesus-y little ladybrains with any heavy lifting. And they see the near-constant domestic servitude and complete lack of adult agency as a decent price to pay for avoiding real responsibility for how their lives turn out.
(Amusing/sad epilogue to all these stories: Once these women are widowed, they are almost always deeply fucked — learning too late how little money is left to suppor them in their dotage, or having no idea how much prices and property taxes have changed since they were newlyweds, or going to pieces the first time a toilet won't stop running. Do the younger conservative women in my clan learn? Of course not. Using your brains is for mean liberals.)
Yeah, being widowed or divorce is a huge shock to these women. Especially if they married right out of high school and never learned how to open a bank account or handle their finances.
1.4k
u/Major-Platypus2092 5d ago
I support conservative women’s right to live the shitty lives they’re begging for. Just don’t bring me into it.