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comparative critique
7 October 2013
W131
Comparative Critique First Draft

The roles each spouse play within their family and what the other partner is lacking are discussed in these articles. Edelman and Bartels express their displeasure concerning their partners and the chores they perform domestically. Wives have an image of what they want their home life to be like, but according to traditional American families, the gender roles of “nurturer’ and “provider” are fixed within everyone minds. Even with limitless efforts by American females to be freed from their male counterparts and the apparent natural domestic image, in some cases, such as Edelman and Bartels, it is unavoidable that they end up with gender roles such as those of the 1950’s housewife ideal. In this ideal; wives handle domestic life and husbands retain financial support. Though these essays address marriage from both a male and female perspective, they both discuss idealistic views of marriage, lack of communication, blame, and how to fix their problem.

In her article “The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was.” Hope Edelman writes about how many women (including herself) feel enlightened and encouraged to be independent from their husbands, yet frequently, these women still end up doing most of the domestic work and end up as stay at home moms. Most times these woman end up resenting their children. Edelman explains the challenges that married couples encounter when trying to balance responsibilities at work and home. Edelman uses her own marriage as her example in her article; her husband works ninety-two hours a week and she is forced to put aside her dreams for now so that she can take care of their children at home.

(????Neither Edelman’s nor Bartels’ marriages end up the way they have imagined. Edelman’s husband promises her in their wedding vows to be her “partner at home and in life,” but they “stopped feeling like a team” (190). He breaks his promises to her.????)

In

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