Marry Rich, Forget the Career? The New Girlhood Dream

A new breed of mother is popping up — one that discourages her daughter from working her whole life and instead supports her focus on marrying rich. Frances Childs writes in the Daily Mail that she’d rather her daughter wed a wealthy man than be forced to toil at a 9-to-5 for decades. These days, Childs writes, stay-at-home moms are more chic, less frazzled; more active, less detached.

But the new alpha housewife is the educated, intelligent woman who chooses not to work — but thanks to her husband’s money certainly isn’t pushing a mop around the kitchen floor either.

Hopefully, my daughter and her generation will benefit from our belated realisation that a happy life isn’t guaranteed by working a 50-hour week and seeing your children on Saturday afternoons.

A happy life isn’t guaranteed by marriage to a wealthy man either. But isn’t it time we admitted that it certainly helps?

Anyone who watches The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has to admit that a lifestyle that consists solely of rearing your children, throwing parties, sorting your jewelry, and getting daily blowouts looks pretty tempting. But haven’t we been over this before? You know, in history class? About how the working husband, stay-at-home wife, 2.5 kids, and picket fence didn’t work out…at all…for anyone? Books such as Revolutionary Road and TV shows such as Mad Men are good illustrations.

Childs argues that things have changed since then — that now women have the choice whether to leave a marriage that isn’t working. Divorce, she says, is more socially acceptable than ever:

Not that I’m encouraging divorce, but new laws ensure no woman should be left destitute if a marriage fails.

I don’t know if that applies to every woman. Maybe just the ones who can afford good lawyers on their own. Or the ones who didn’t sign pre-nups.

(Daily Mail)