Women can just as easily ABuse the old dependent wife role as the new feminist wife role to control and manipulate men. This is not decisive as to whether the true ideals at stake are good ones or not.
This is quite true, as is the male side of this argument, that men abuse their roles. But the literature on male abuse, control, manipulation, etc. can fill a large room. Schlessinger’s perspective is unique in that it narrowly focuses on only one side of relationships. I believe her view is only a minor step further than the thoughts of Willard Harley and Michelle. Those two focus on responsibilities for the overall relationship, stepping back to take a more balanced, objective look at male/female interaction. Schlessinger puts the spotlight on only one side of this matter and brought to my attention issues that did not come out with Harley or Michelle.
In the end, this is really no different than identifying when and where abuse occurs, and empowering oneself not to take it anymore. The fact that it is so covert and difficult for many women to see is what seems to make it controversial.
