The Years of Living Hysterically, Part III

Reflections on Joe Biden, Tara Reade, #MeToo, and our Hysterical Culture

AMBIVALENCE AND HYSTERIA

It was not until the 1980s that women were expected to enter the workforce, whether or not they wanted to. The social tide had turned. The feminine mystique was no more. Women without careers were mildly disdained as unaccomplished, lacking in ambition or self-esteem, servile, or perhaps too lazy to contribute financially to the family. Such clichés as “ladies who lunch” came into vogue. Women became embarrassed to say they were “just” a housewife. 

In 1969, Ronald Reagan, as governor of California, signed into law the nation’s first no-fault divorce law. Every other state of the union quickly followed. The entry of women into the workforce contributed to the rising divorce rate. Jealous wives were right to worry about their husband’s attractive secretary; the intermingling of the sexes in the workplace did lead to higher rates of infidelity. As the taboo against divorce eroded, women discovered the risk of depending economically upon a man. This caused more wom…