emmanuel reynaud holy virility the social construction of masculinity

. . The list of disadvantages of the housewife's condition as
compared to that of the wage-earning woman is endless. Yet
man can easily tempt his wife to stay at home, as the factory,
the supermarket or the typing pool do not exempt her from
performing a double day's work. Thus, he can make it seem
attractive to not have to go out to work, and to be dependent on
only one boss: himself.
[90 / Holy virility]
The husband does not bind his wife to him through financial
blackmail alone; he also tries to confine her as best he can
within the home. Although in some countries men traditionally
lock their wives up, man does not always need to resort to such
measures ― especially since men as a whole maintain a rule of
terror, in town and countryside, which does not generally
encourage women to venture out. So they rarely have to remind
their wives of the dangers of going out alone 'for no reason': as
a rule, wives restrict these journeys to going between home and
work, via the shops and the children's school. If a foolhardy wife
ventures out too often, she will be reminded ―in the street and
at home― that whether she belongs to a man or not, outside the
conjugal home, she is 'up for grabs' in just the same way as all
other women.
Men as a class put women in such situations that women
themselves come to prefer to be married. And it is not only a
matter of feeling physically threatened, or of difficulty in finding
waged work, but of the existence of a general system aiming to
guarantee the exclusive appropriation of at least one woman by
each man,who so desires.
Ideology and education condemn women to marriage, which is
supposed to be the fulfilment of their lives in patriarchy. This is
expressed, most sharply, in the many obstacles they have to
overcome if they want to fulfil themselves in another way. As far
as social success is concerned, it is hardly necessary to
underline the fact that a woman has to battle even harder to
achieve anything as she constantly has to make people forget
which sex she belongs to. It is ludicrous to wish to live one's life
through a hierarchy ―but access to that hierarchy is still strictly
limited according to an anatomical criterion. Besides, it is
obvious that the professions and salaries open to men offer far
more possibilities to opting out of a regular job and remaining
relatively unscathed. To mention one example: skilled manual
labour, a field where it is relatively easy to find work, whether
temporary, seasonal or off-the-cards (as plumber, electrician,
welder, cook, etc,) has very few equivalents for women. Six
months' salary for an experienced typist would hardly be
sufficient for her to live on for a year; whereas a good season as
an assistant chef will sustain a man.
[Marriage / 91]
However, money and prestige are not the only things that matter
in life, there is also 'love'; and far from being immaterial for a