In the essay "I Want A Wife," Judy Brady brings out all the different roles a "wife" must fulfill according to society at that time. So I wonder, who would not want a wife? Even though Brady is being ironic, I believe she describes the ideal wife a man dreams of. Even today, at the beginning of a new millennium, women are still not equal to men in many ways.
In this essay, Brady herself being a wife wishes she had a one for herself. She brings out all the different roles of the American housewife. From the beginning, Brady is being somehow sarcastic, but deep inside I believe she is scared and tired. At the time a wife was expected to do everything in and around the house. To be a wife was and still is a twenty-four hour job. Brady describes a wife as the person who stays home and takes care of everything so when the husband comes home everything is put in its place. Brady says, "I want a wife to take care of my children., keep track of the children's doctor and dentist appoitments and keep track of mine, too" (529). She wants a wife who would "keep the house clean, her clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it" (529). A wife should also do all the cooking, groceries, and cleaning afterwards. The wife should plan vacations when there is a need of "change of scenes" (530). A wife should never complain about her duties and should always be there and support the husband. If anyone in the family is ill, she should be the one taking care of the sick person. The wife should also understand her husband if he feels depressed and try to make him feel better if needed. She should also be "sensitive to his sexual needs" and also understand that sometimes he needs a night out by himself (530). Toward the end, Brady says that a wife should understand if the husband "wants the liberty to replace the present wife with another one" (530).