Having It All: The New Wifes Myth

New breed of wife redefines 'having it all and confidently calls the shots.

(PRWEB) February 1, 2004 --The role of wife is the most desired status for millions of women across America. But unlike wives of the past, todays new wife has the self-confidence to command a satisfying life-and shes sure she can get it.

Womens relationship expert Susan Shapiro Barashs latest book, THE NEW WIFE: THE EVOLVING ROLE OF THE AMERICAN WIFE (Nonetheless Press, February 14, 2004, case bound, 280 pages, $24.95) explores the modern wife through the decades, from the 1950s to today. Barashs research reveals some surprising trends.

Many younger women are cynical in response to their mothers less than successful marriages," Barash notes. Becoming a twenty-first century wife means a marriage of parity, hope, and a kind of utopianism. Shes able to discard the complexities and errors of the past and draw only upon the success of the previous decades."

Barash, professor of gender studies at Marymount Manhattan College, asserts that a wifes sense of awareness is heightened today as never before. The New Wife is aware of the elements necessary for a successful marriage, and shes willing to put her energy to this effort. Those necessary elements include:

·   Shared values and compatibility
·   Responsibility to one another
·   Honesty and trust
·   A 'best friendship between spouses
·   Commitment, acceptance, and a sexual connection

THE NEW WIFE strikes a delicate balance of personal interviews with women who married through the decades from 1950 to today. The candid revelations of these wives capture the essence of wifing: even as the challenges differ, the commonalities emerge.

Women wanted it all," says Barash. And they told their daughters that they could have it all: an education and a great career and marriage and babies. But todays wife has different ideas."

For more information, or to schedule an interview with Susan Shapiro Barash, contact Marcia Schutte at Nonetheless Press, (toll-free) 1-877-250-2665; (tel) 913-254-7266; (cell) 913-636-9625; (fax) 913-393-3245; (email) mschutte@nonethelesspress.com.

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