title: The belittled wife: social, legal and psychotherapeutic considerations.
abstract: Forty years ago Horney and Thompson each wrote about the inferior role of women in marriage based on sociocultural situations. The present day message of equality has had variable effects with the result that many women complain of the belittling opinions and actions of their male partners when they attempt to become self-assertive. Equality in marriage in Canada is more established in law than socially today. Dual career marriages often illustrate this dichotomy as the husband's career takes precedence over that of the wife. The therapist plays an important role in the resolution of the ambivalent feelings of both partners.
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012930:Social Dominance; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence