"Why I Want a Wife" (1972) , by Judy Brady, is a short essay that gives a list of what an ideal "wife" does and she says that she would love to have a "wife" if the wife does all these things. The author explains why she wants a "wife" by listing all the things a "wife" does from physical needs to the children. The author wrote this in order to tell what society said was an ideal "wife". The intended audience is most likely men as it shows what a "wife" is supposed to be and how partners should share equal responsibility.
Personally, I loved this essay. When I was reading everything that a "wife" is to do I could easily understand what Brady was trying to say. Being in a relationship and raising a family requires a lot of work and all the responsibility shouldn't be placed on one person. Such things should be shared equally between the two people. If the concept of a "wife" that Brady described existed I'm sure everyone would want a "wife".
The essay is written in a way that describes an ideal "wife" and finishes by saying "My God, who wouldn't want a wife?". In this essay, the "wife" isn't an actual person but an idea. This assumptions is confirmed by the fact that no pronouns are used whatsoever. The idea of a person who does all the things she talked about is wonderful in theory but in practice is ridiculous. Only one person taking care of the responsibilities of the relationship is unfair and she is indirectly saying that both people in the relationship should share responsibility.
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