You are lucky to have a bright, independent, loving, conservative wife and it sounds to me like she needs some flowers!
I can't say what it is with Gen X and Y chicks. I was born in 1966 so I'm on the edge of the X'ers. But I had WWII generation parents, which were most of my friends' grandparents' ages. And yes, my mother was Southern and it certainly rubbed off on me.
It is certainly refreshing to see many of them coming to the realization that a paycheck is not the answer to their self-worth prayers. But you are correct in that they seem to be a bit on the defensive side of it still.
Not me, though. I'm a stay at home mom. Have two beautiful boys -- 3 1/2 and 1 1/2. I built my career so that I COULD work from home at some point. It is just about multi-tasking and making priorities.
Bottom line is, I guess, at least for me, that it isn't going to say "She wrote really great press releases" on my tombstone. It is going to say "wife and mother." Better live up to those monikers and make sure that my real legacy -- my boys -- are brought up to be productive, thoughtful, prayerful gentlemen.
I used to be pro-abortion, too. I understand the bill of goods the feminists have sold to women. I have never understood, however, why, if feminists are supposed to be about "empowering women" that they teach young girls that the road to equality is not found in the bedroom. The "choice" comes when a woman says "yes" or "no". Everything after that is a consequence phase. But no, hate to cut down on the blood money profits for Planned Parenthood by teaching that responsibility/consequence thing.
Now. Back to the priority. I think flowers just out of the blue would be a lovely thing to do for your wife, don't you?
Shoot...I buy Annette flowers all the time....ask nopardons...she'll vouch for me....I believe in spoiling my wife and erstwhile daughters.....the lads get a tougher road....life ain't fair.
Annette is a year older than you. I'm a 1957 peak of the boomer brat but I have always felt like we were really trailing the boomers sort of.
I was more ambivalent about abortion once myself and that is now my greatest single regret in life.
That issue probably is the crucible upon which my conservatism was finally forged after a decade of leaning more and more that way after my teen years.