Housewife vs. Independence

While Donna represents how some women took advantage of their rights, Kitty Forman exploits how others remained in almost the same position they were in without them. She perfectly embodies a housewife before women’s rights came into play. Kitty has a full dependence on her husband Red which gives him all the power in their relationship. Her day to day routine consists of household chores and making dinner for her family. She complains to her husband how lonely she feels now that her children are grown up and he is always at work. She is bored because her life revolves around taking care of people, and now she has no one to take care of. Her husband reacts by buying her a pet fish which sat next to her while she cooked and cleaned. She ended up having full blown conversations with this fish which proves her intense state of boredom. She then feels the need to ask her husband if she is allowed to go back to work which demonstrates the superiority he has on her. The idea of Red cooking is seen as obscure as demonstrated by him offering to “cook a meal ” for their family which ends up being take out food. When he offers to cook and take over “Kitty’s duties” the laugh track goes off insinuating that the husband’s cooking is a laughing matter. These scenes are masked in comedy as the roles begin to reverse into her working a double shift to him cooking dinner. The thought of a woman working a double shift is seen as unbearable. Kitty and Red are doing unwell financially which forces Red into going back to work full time at his old job. When Red tells Kitty this news she hugs him and says “and to think how close we came to losing the house.” Later on Kitty and Red visit Hyde at his mothers house which is “falling apart” and Kitty’s motherly instinct kicks in and begs Red to allow Hyde to move in which he eventually agrees to, but hesitated due to their financial situation. Around the same time Midge, Donna’s mother, attends a female empowerment class at a community college nearby. Bob, her husband, completely disapproves of her decision, he even calls it “dumb.” He tells her “I’m the man of the house and I say you’re not going.” Midge is learning to stand up for herself I believe in result of her daughters powerful feminist actions and replies to her husband “you can’t tell me what to do, you ass.” Midge knows Red is very controlling and Kitty sadly enables him to control her, which led Midge to being shocked Kitty was “allowed” to get a job. As they discuss her going to work Midge asks “how did you talk Red into letting you work?” Kitty explains their financial situation and how it was necessary for her to get a job. Midge becomes portrayed as the newly strong and independent woman and is not allowing her husband to control her anymore. Contrary to Midge, Kitty is not inclined to join the side of female liberation and struggles to see why Midge would want to get her own job and not just tend to household chores while her husband provides for her. Midge’s husband tries discussing this with their daughter Donna and states “married women don’t abandon their families.” To his surprise Donna does not take his side and replies “sure they do dad, it’s the ‘70s.” The men in the show have a difficult time understanding why women would want more than just the men providing for them. They see the women as weak and unable to do anything without the help of a man.