The Husbands: A Novel

The continuation of marriage inequality is responsible for the “wife rage” and resentment Nora feels. Society’s Gender-Based Double Standards pave the way for women to feel accountable for the home and kids and for men to consider these areas are women’s work. This happens on an institutional level as well as in individual relationships. For instance, Nora blames the rarity of paternity leave for reinforcing this belief, though many husbands, like Hayden, do contribute more to the household than their fathers did. Dads’ confidence in their own evolution, coupled with an often unconscious misogyny and unreasonably high expectations of mothers, perpetuates inequality between heterosexual partners when it comes to managing a household and family.

Hayden’s failure to recognize how much more Nora does for their home and their daughter is the catalyst for her “wife rage.” Nora “sometimes stands at the kitchen sink, fantasizing about what would happen if she died. She […] would certainly kill to see the look on [Hayden’s] face when he realized how much work she does at home” (47). This line of thought is supported by Cameron’s “lazy traveler” theory. Nora feels lucky about many aspects of her marriage, but the frequency with which Hayden disappears, leaving her to handle a messy house, work obligations, and childcare, paired with his defensiveness when she broaches the subject demonstrates his “baked in” belief that these are wife-and-mom duties, not father-dad ones.