Reply #57: I guess if you were going to think of stereotypes...

[bloom]

There is the Strict -Father model

The Strict Father Model. A traditional nuclear family with the father having primary responsibility for the well-being of the household. The mother has day-to-day responsibility for the care of the house and details of raising the children. But the father has primary responsibility for setting overall family policy, and the mother's job is to be supportive of the father and to help carry out the father's views on what should be done. Ideally, she respects his views and supports them.

http://www.wwcd.org/issues/Lakoff.html


The (stereo)typical conservative relationship that pretty much demands the woman be the nuturing/subordinate type. Which is partly why I suggested this was NOT probably your typical DUer/liberal. George/Laura - seemed to model this and I thought that it was perhaps - intentional - the way their relationship was presented.

It also seems like a more "Republican" kind of thing for men who get successful to dump their wives for a younger (more submissive...) model. "First Wives Club" and all that. The trophy wife, etc.

Both of these examples could fall into what M. Dowd is talking about when she says "unfortunately, a lot of those guys want to be in relationships with women they don't have to talk to." (Which I see as an extreme exaggeration - I do think it is likely the men don't want to be challenged, however).


I don't see smart, liberal men being as likely to do that. Lakoff talks about the liberal model as being mutually nurturing, etc. Equal isn't always easy - but I think it's a similar attitude to wanting equal rights for anybody - it's a mindset - a value system....