Tips for wedded bliss, from the 1950s…

Ever wondered why the divorce rate started to rise in the 80s? Have you stopped to think about how our mothers’ lived, loved and stayed married? Well, we take a look back today at the tips for wedded bliss from the 50s and they are sure to entertain you.

In 1943, Edward Podolsky published a well-read book on “How to be a Good Wife”, and the first four tips are extra giggle-worthy!

1) Don’t bother your husband with petty troubles and complaints when he comes home from work.

2) Be a good listener. Let him tell you his troubles; yours will seem trivial in comparison.

3) Remember your most important job is to build up and maintain his ego (which gets bruised plenty in business). Morale is a woman’s business.

4) Let him relax before dinner. Discuss family problems after the inner man has been satisfied.

In other pieces of timeless advice, Eugenicist Prof. B.G. Jefferis writes that a woman should allow the man to be their boss, in his “Searchlights on Health, The Science of Eugenics“:

“The Number One Rule. Reverence Your Husband.—He sustains by God’s order a position of dignity as head of a family, head of the woman. Any breaking down of this order indicates a mistake in the union, or a digression from duty.

And, quite clearly, one should remember never to nag…

Reverend Alfred Henry Tyrer wrote in his 1951 book, “Sex Satisfaction and Happy Marriage” that a woman should not ask for things and expect to stay married:

“I verily believe that the happiness of homes is destroyed more frequently by the habit of nagging than by any other one. A man may stand that sort of thing (nagging) for a long time, but the chances are against his standing it permanently. If he needs peace to make life bearable, he will have to look for it elsewhere than in his own house. And it is quite likely that he will look.

And Dorothy Carnegie, wife (and author herself of How to help your husband get ahead) of the intrepid author of How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie agrees wholeheartedly.

“Nagging causes more unhappiness in families than extravagance, poor housekeeping and infidelity all put together”

Tyrer also comments on the fact that all women should know confidently how to cook, and do so as a core part of her job.

“Housekeeping accomplishments and cooking ability are, of course, positive essentials in any true home, and every wife should take a reasonable pride in her skill. Happiness does not flourish in an atmosphere of dyspepsia.

And finally, Mrs Carnegie insists that we should be happy with good enough, and not chase material possessions or push our husbands to.

“Better to be content with working within our limits that to kill ourselves—or our spouses! –trying to achieve what is beyond our capacities.”

Entertaining to look back at yesterdays ways and see how they apply to today…. Do you feel like you saw the world when these things were true?