Respecting the value of being a homemaker is one thing; expecting to enjoy guaranteed lifetime privileges as a pet is another thing entirely.
Learning useful lifetime skills is a highly recommended idea regardless of one's attitude concerning women's role in home-making.
At 67 people are generally enjoying retirement. That's not being a pet.
What do you mean by "enjoying lifetime privileges as a pet'?
If she did the unglamorous job of running things on the home front so that her husband could spend more time at his job, hasn't she also earned the right to some of his retirement funds?
Not only getting an education, but making sure your job skills stay current as well. The problem was that she should have gotten at least a part-time job once her children were grown. I wonder if she saved and/or invested the money she got from her book as well. All housewives or future housewives should have an emergency plan in case of divorce or death of a spouse. Few women today should expect to marry at 20, 25 and remain a housewife for life.
I guess raising and educating the future generation is not a very valuable pursuit. Unfortunately, economics suggest you are wrong. The housewife is an impact on not only her children's future productivity, but her husbands earnings. Our society will only impoverish itself if it discourages future productivity.
"Respecting the value of being a homemaker is one thing; expecting to enjoy guaranteed lifetime privileges as a pet is another thing entirely.
Learning useful lifetime skills is a highly recommended idea regardless of one's attitude concerning women's role in home-making."
I agree. I feel my wife would be a much happier person learning a trade and contributing to society. If the whole marriage is based on me, the husband all the time then it is trouble when I act human - imperfect. Plus you never know what this world will bring, so not having these skills in world that now offers them to women is not shrewd.