The Superior Wife Syndrome: Why Women Do Everything So Well and Why--For the Sake of Our Marriages--We've Got to Stop

In this provocative survey of modern marriage, Rubenstein deconstructs the myth of the superwoman: she who holds down a career, serves as caregiver to her children and husband and keeps the home-but at what cost? According to Rubenstein, it's her psychological health and marital satisfaction. Labeling this woman ""the superior wife,"" Rubenstein makes readers reconsider their own judgments regarding superiority, men and women, and the perilous state of modern marriage. Drawing data primarily from a set of web surveys of couples, this book may not be entirely scientific, but it paints a convincing picture of women victimized by outrageous expectations. Rubenstein's common sense solution is surrender: to the idea that she cannot do everything, to the fact that their partners must step up as equal participants in all aspects of marriage and child rearing. Though not exactly revolutionary, Rubenstein's concept is based in popular studies, and addresses an increasingly popular notion among women that marriage is a losing proposition. Rubenstein's constant reiteration can leave readers feeling browbeaten, but her relationship anecdotes will definitely give readers pause, as well as some useful strategies for implementing genuine equality between spouses.