The Meaning of Wife: A Provocative Look at Women and Marriage in the Twenty-First Century

Anne Kingston examines the concept of wifehood in contemporary North America, exploring what it means to be a wife in the twenty-first century. She identifies a crisis surrounding the role, noting that the word itself carries conflicting meanings that provoke varied emotional responses in women. Kingston investigates the contradictions and complexities of modern marriage and wifehood across several areas: the wedding industry and its elevation of the bride as a consumer figure; the recent revival of domestic idealization; and contemporary attitudes toward wives and sexuality. She addresses the backlash against wives, the rise of neo-traditionalism pressuring women to marry, cultural responses to abused wives and wives who commit violence, and the paradox of wealthy, influential non-wives like Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart whose success derives from understanding wives. The book combines social, sexual, historical, and economic analysis to examine the realities and illusions surrounding marriage and women's roles.