Mark your wives: The 1930s marriage test

Telegraph.co.uk ^ | May 14, 2008 | Matthew Moore

[OB1kNOb]

American psychologists have unearthed a “marital rating scale” used by marriage counsellors in 1939 to assess the performance of wives – and the categories make interesting reading for modern couples brought up to believe in the equality of the sexes.

Women are awarded marks if they dress for breakfast, ask their husband’s opinions on important decisions and let their partners sleep late on Sundays and holidays.....

[OB1kNOb]

And let the discussion begin...........(snicker)

My wife gets double demerits for #9.

[kalee]

lol me too. I just tell hubby rmember cold feet means a warm heart.

Lets husband sleep in on Sunday but takes children to church herself? Doesn’t fly, we all belong in church TOGETHER!

[woollyone]

Now you’ve done it!

The FR man-haters will be here shortly.
You are SO in trouble.

[MEGoody]

I’d think most of these could be applied to husbands as well. (I’d say wearing red nail polish would be a really BIG demerit for a husband!)

[lesser_satan]

I lol’d at #9.

[ClearCase_guy]

Is this one of those LDS threads? “Mark your wives”?? I only got one!

[lesser_satan]

I really didn’t get that one. What’s the problem with red nail polish? What color is acceptable to them?

[posterchild]

My wife gets double demerits for #9.

She should only get double demerits if she is standing upright at the time.

[OB1kNOb]

Lets husband sleep in on Sunday but takes children to church herself? Doesn’t fly, we all belong in church TOGETHER!

I totally agree!

[MrB]

The man is, biblically, supposed to lead the family in religious matters, including discipleship and righteousness.

Ephesians 6

[ClearCase_guy]

My grandmother always said that women who wore lipstick were whores. I suspect it’s that kind of thing.

[geezerwheezer]

Gosh....I sure hope you ain’t married to my ex-wife! Does she have bad breath too? (if so, run like he.. the other way!) :0 )

[KarlInOhio]

#5 Dresses for breakfast.

How many points for "naked at breakfast"?

[Tired of Taxes]

My score is 3. I fail miserably as a 1939 wife.

I’d feel terrible about it, but yesterday, I chain-sawed down the overgrowth of bushes and trees and mowed the front and back yards. When my husband came home, I said, “Look what I did. Now you can relax.” I think I deserve extra points for that. :-)

[Politicalmom]

“Slow in coming to bed”.

Geeze. Maybe she’s cleaning the kitchen, making lunches, feeding animals, checking that everyone laid out their stuff for the next day, doing the load of laundry for the child that walked in at 9;30 and said “I don’t have any clean uniforms for tomorrow”, locking up the house, or actually sitting down with a cup of tea for the first time that day........

[cyborg]

I use my husband as a heating pad. I confess. I also confess to waking him up to take out the dog on many occasions and pestering him about consuming less beer.

OTOH, I do ask his opinion and yes even this enlightened day and age his opinion/permission before I spend extra money. For example, a new ipod nano :D

[lesser_satan]

Oh.

[NRA1995]

She gets points for being jolly and GAY?????

[TalonDJ]

Mine too

[bvw]

It’s only the 1st page of many. Not sure how many — maybe five or six.

[SF Republican]

I do not understanding the scoring; it appears even if the wife gets all merits and no demerits she still only gets 25 points = Poor

[GovernmentShrinker]

I read that as a euphemism for “Doesn’t put out for hubby”.

[Petronski]

I’ve been known to pester my wife about posting on FR during class. ;OP

[Red6]

Now that’s psychology one can’t disagree with! LOL

[Domandred]

Okay apparently I don’t know how to properly score or something. Instructions say 1 point unless weighted specifically. I figure that means the max score would be 25 if no demerits.

[trisham]

Ah, the good old days! :)

[OB1kNOb]

My score is 3. I fail miserably as a 1939 wife. I’d feel terrible about it, but yesterday, I chain-sawed down the overgrowth of bushes and trees and mowed the front and back yards. When my husband came home, I said, “Look what I did. Now you can relax.” I think I deserve extra points for that. :-)

Yeah, but did you greet him at the door with a cold refreshment as you were telling him that? (I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin')

[righting-wrongs]

I’d subtract all the other demerits if my wife came to BF undressed! lol.

[Cecily]

Furthermore, according to Judeo-Christian belief, the husband/father is supposed to be the spiritual head of the household and responsible for the religious training of his children. I guess the 1939 man got to punt the ball on that one. :)

[poobear]

“How many points for “naked at breakfast”?”

That would get a one in most households.

The rest of my comment was pulled by the Admin Mod.

[antiRepublicrat]

I’d say wearing red nail polish would be a really BIG demerit for a husband!

Unless he's Penn Jillette.

[najida]

LOL!
My score is 3,
erm a negative 3 at that!

I love being a hostess though! For my friends :)

[najida]

But darlin’,
there must be something alkaline to neutralize the acid of the womenbashers-—

I mean,
otherwise, without strong minded females,
FR just becomes a boys locker room, with living pin-ups...and ya wouldn’t want that, now would ya hunny bunny ;)

[najida]

LOL
BAD Girls where red nailpolish

(Golly, isn’t there a group that thinks red is evil??)

[Sax]

"Puts her cold feet on her husband at night to warm them."

I like that.

[ConservativeMind]

I would prefer, for the humor involved, to think it was built to purposely make that the highest score, but I would imagine there are more pages to it.

[najida]

LOL!
Same here-— I used to work 12 hour days and yeah, all I wanted was about 30 minutes to read my mail before bed.....

[yuleeyahoo]

He did one for husbands too.

Both of the tests are at http://flickr.com/photos/tiabla/2491839794/in/set-72157605047200616/

[Lizavetta]

These lists are retarded. All most husbands really want is a nice woman who will give him lots of sex.

Men are wonderfully simple (and I don't mean stupid, I mean not complex) and easy to please.

[Age of Reason]

Any nail polish on a woman, along with makeup in general, is a negative.

The more makeup she uses and the longer her nails—polished or not—the less attractive I find her.

[brytlea]

Hmmm #10. Who knew husbands wanted gay wives. I’m going t ask my husband about that one.
susie

[SoothingDave]

pestering him about consuming less beer

So, more whiskey then? ;-)

[Marie2]

I was sad I only got 14 but I’m happy now to know there are more pages. I got big points for going to church and Sunday School - while letting my husband sleep in.

[PCBMan]

My wife does #9 all the time....and I like it!!!!

[Age of Reason]

They left out obedient.

No, I’m not joking.

[brytlea]

According to my husband that scores mega points!
susie

[woollyone]

I never mentioned you by name.
Funny that you felt the need to reply to my humor.

...convicted conscience perhaps?

*grin*

[brytlea]

Clearly it’s a conspiracy to give women low self esteem! ;)
susie

[Petronski]

I have enough trouble with beer, thank you very much.

;OP

[Appleby]

What if she puts her cold feet on him for a different reason?