Playing for High Stakes: The Men, Money, and Power of Corporate Wives

Denholtz (Having It Both Ways, etc.) interviewed corporate wives at all levels concerning their marriages and the sacrifices they have made for their husbands' careers. Some women who equate material success and security with happiness progressed happily to the top of the ladder, but others assessed their positions and sought a measure of personal fulfillment outside the home in study or work, sometimes at the risk of the marriage. The author describes power struggles that can develop in a household as a woman attempts to assert her identity. Without her husband's emotional support, a wife may revert to a passive role, while another wife may commit herself to her job and compete with her spouse for power and money. Many men feel their manhood threatened by an enterprising woman, although younger men tend to be more open-minded and supportive, according to Denholtz. Establishing a partnership based on mutual respect, she concludes, is essential if a couple is to withstand the stress of a two-career marriage. Major ad/promo; author tour. (May 8)