A new book, The Superior Wife Syndrome by Carin Rubenstein addresses a common complaint both women and men have about marriage.

“It’s as if by taking on a husband, a wife gains a dependent’not quite a child, but not quite a true partner, either. She’s Marge Simpson to her husband’s Homer. This arrangement does not characterize every single married couple, of course, just a great many of them. While husbands may joke about wives being their “better half,” quite often it’s the literal truth.


Wives are the “better half’ the ones who are capable and responsible, organized and efficient, caring and involved.”

I hear from both men and women who are going through a divorce. What are the women saying? “He never makes a decision,” or “I work full time then go home and work the rest of the day doing laundry, cooking and taking care of children while he watches television.”

What are the men saying? “She is strong-willed,” or “She nags because I don’t do enough around the house.”

Is it the power mom/wife that is ruining the dynamics of marital relationships or is it the father/husband who allows her to be the decision maker?

Men are walking away from marriages after years of feeling controlled by their wives. Wives are walking away after years of feeling like the burden of the marriage and family fell squarely on their shoulder.

According to Carin Rubenstein, “Who does what in the home is one of the most pernicious problems in marriages today.”

Are you a wife who has surrendered herself to a life sentence of mundane yet critically important minutia that absolutely, without a doubt, must get done and will not get done "unless I do it"…in your opinion anyway.

Are you a husband who has been made to feel inept by a strong-willed woman who believes if she doesn’t do it, it won’t get done?