‘ .\ h e. .n... _. .» 'a_\.., ." Li ’ 1" f Dissertation for the Degree of .Ph D ff. g; . ’ I -::1. j M'CHIGAN STATE UNIVERS'W' a , " , 7: 1973‘ f3 :ffl- '[jéjiifl 7: «....oz. " Irv-4". ..- ».H....'...,,... .. . .y u... ,—., r . .er.,.,,r ,....».,.,_ , . __,,,,,,, nav.q,.»,. r..,-.,p1nnua . . , .., “1.. . 4],. , A. ...V .,....., . ,. ..,.. , .,M,,,,4,,,,,u‘,_, . .,,w-..,.. V . . .. .,,...,,. ”no. —.H...‘~...,..- ..r- . unwnqunm-n—u . .-~n.rn.-,..m ....., .- A... _..v..r~,,-«'...u.« in“... ”..., h , . . ......H. . 'r' ,,.,,,,.,_<‘_,, run- ‘1., ’14-4-1- t.’l)r'l'(¢ftnyl~ ' ...flu . .,.. ..,.....«y A... ,.-. W. ... ’.. ’,.... ., ...._.. .,,A...y.4¢-wn -.,.. ..,.,,. ......... ,...... ..,...4..H"'...‘.,... . ...“..nufl/"Hp "...... ., -...,-- . .« a41r119vv‘r v‘, . . H“ . .47,“ ,,,....,..ru...~~.-.....«.-x...n-,,.r.- lvv ...n.,,..,.., ,. .,,.... ...,.....,..U..e..-.’....,,., , ,.,,.-. .,,_,,,,,_ .n.. .... m”. 1”...” He... v.“ , .. “H“...H. pun. . ...,,,. .. , 3., .. a, ..-.. ,.,-..,..,,v..., . rul.” ”0—,:- ., M. .,.,. .-.,......,. .,... ... 4v.n...,.‘... ., "’/.'..‘ ,.,.,..,,_,,.,. ......“ . .H,.»,.~...-A..,,u.. H, ., . , ., ,.l,.. e an)... ,...., . ,, A ,r.” 4.“ e,,,.,,..,.-,_. ,,-V...,.- ,r(,..........-)-...... .w awn-h, In.» 4-1,: ”gun“. I "lu‘lflflrll’rifllllot ..,.;..11..“.uncutrn-l w.-..........4-...4'.... ,..,.. .v.....‘.....,.¢”, 'u-‘nnppv.-rtrh0 a. .4";'-1'rl»l ....run dru-illlfrtl-trv-'r>'!or—or.v‘:vtvlvlwrv.t.~l"\v"‘-vl'r'1 rah”. . """""'1"’.”""" (‘11.)..’A'..1)y~o-“.,, ‘- It'l'l 1"“.”4'.~.-..,A...W-.y-v.-,,,.-..y..--...~»rw..n..m”.r-v-v-»r- -A.. ...,.~... . I...“ ~ , .I-.Hh...,...r.... 4,,» , ...wmuW, ,‘.,V,., _.e .—;. r4 I:’—-I—lt-t~~‘l'trlo-rv.((p';1'1‘- an...” .lp- .,. ~ ,. ...W w ”...”...W nu...,.... .17.’ :........‘.,.. ,,..,,.,..,....»,,,,..a, n... ,-.,.‘ ..m" . paw“. , ,. ...N. .e. ..MNH v,._.'...:. . . 11v1.1/,.u"u,‘atn.'11—. ,"« ......4.,.«m1-“?"nnflur ..p,.—,.,, """f’ ,, ......4.,...... ..u.,..u-.-..~.y ,.,,,-, . , ...-4.1“,” ”Manage, . , ,0“, ”n. """.’ ,,,,,,., ..114....,.. ..,,_ .,,,,,_ . H... -. 4-... v..->.,..n....:..,...1.......“.unu-nfmu—H»....y.,...,fl....., - ”fir r.1rrlro-.r14. -.-... '.1— . z” “...«ur‘ ,.e,.,..,.,..,.,.... I... , ...”,“u. .,-_.-1...,.., ”nun-mu, ,,,, v . .¢.-m.».~- z ,.,,. ...r..v.n,--,_ 'VO-Itc- ,,,, .e,..,.... . .4; an...” n. . up , r..~..,-. ”nu...” ...”... Mn. .ur..,,...n I rlllv‘tpa‘n‘fvlt r.«.r.....rrn4,.n.. 'rr ,,,, ,.... ,..,,....,.‘~,.._,.,..‘... . we, ,.,w~,l»¢ :ri'v-11Ain’p;p'ert’:,I-tn “run/«.7...”Nahum." , . . .,..,...\...... ,1.) ,,_,, ‘I.»'.,v ...,,.,-r u..r..~...,‘..-...,. ...—..rr- »...r4..‘..p-’,,1.9--‘-4vatr~-r a...“ vy‘frdl'lvrr.t.n.p.,. .,,A ”an”... ...up . ..H ..,...A.. ..,,. ...” .. :7..—r,...n,,‘,,,,.,<,. ..., 1”,. «yr. r”...¢...,.,,,.,,....-. ,..¢..n.-r,nur,.l e.., l ... u m, a...“ “nu... . I CarpI-v374 .. ...,,,,~,..-..o4»ur.,.p,1..-,. .. .,..,,,,,,,..,,...‘rup......r»....—v¢,—.r at Hz»..- .., ‘ ..., . . ,,,. II;' ,.h.-.,.,4.,....u,_..e .4,.,.n..-..ya.-.-4p.;;1n- ....A.».‘,u-.,,.Mu....;.~o..',.n»,4..w...u.~..111,;v-....r.vpytdi..4..a ,Ir.r(‘nry¢’fu .—.,. .,,,_.,,,.....a..t.-..4..«rm..n r./.r-ru fury arr—y. r4 1‘ v.4.v’...rm 4r1¢ .r Irrvottarrvida ; ,;.o :.....,,. . u. A.........‘. ;¢“-, .‘ .a’,.4, rl"lr ,n.“ rrit'rrr."ru4 ‘ ""fl‘f'fil-r-l'l- :Il-'rl-v-:-'t<"’-l!)l-4-r-wi~a.4 «,1'.‘ -...rv. pr'Ivllftluyy I‘ll- .....t...¢.¢ , ..., .. . .1... ... .v.~ ...“... ‘1 .(...,-... ...-r , ..r ”1,, “Hoar-rut, ”-4.4- ‘ ,t , . n .H “Mn.” .,.>.r. ...“ ,..,. ... 4..'.,.4,-. (“n.1,- ...n.,n -«.. “0.7-..- “w .... -‘ . .. , _,.. ,._.; ..».,,,.‘,,. ,.,.... ,,,,,,.., ,. .-.,.r.,v,.,,‘,, . ‘ ‘ ..h . A ,. ...~..-v vu» , ... _,_...,‘,...‘.,.. 0—7639 3 1293 10529 5285 This is to certify that the thesis entitled The Role of the Coiége President's Wife presented by Glenda A. Belote has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ph . D . degree in Educat ion University Major professor Date Novrgg' per 14I 1973 . . LIB R A R. Y Michigan Stag}; ABSTRACT THE ROLE OF THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT'S WIFE BY Glenda Ann Belote There has been little research about the role of the college president's wife, although there is a growing body of literature on the role of the business executive's wife. The literature touching on the role dimensions of the college president's wife consists pri— marily of memoirs prepared by former college presidents and a few statements prepared by presidents' wives on their perceptions of the role. From the literature, eight areas were identified which appear to be important in shaping the role "college president's wife." Included are: (l) The social and public role expectations; (2) Home and family role expectations; (3) Friendships; (4) Domestic arrangements and responsibilities; (5) Participation in institutional and community affairs; Glenda Ann Belote (6) Career options, commitments, and possibilities; (7) Intellectual and cultural expectations; and (8) Potential influence within the community and within the institution, both real and perceived. Two underlying assumptions in this study are (1) that there is a definable role for the college president's wife and (2) that the role may closely parallel that described for the business executive's wife. A factor used in selecting subjects for the study was institutional employment of the husband. Factors used in the sample selection of colleges were institutional size, status (public or private), and location (urban area or college town). In addition, willingness of the subjects to participate was a factor in selection. Fifteen four-year institutions of higher education were identified in the Great Lakes region and the presi— dent's wife was contacted by mail. Eight women responded to the letter, five agreeing to participate and three indicating an unwillingness to be involved in the study. An interview guide was developed using the eight possible role dimensions identified in the review of the literature and described above. A pilot study was con- ducted and some modifications were made in the interview Glenda Ann Belote guide. Four of the interviews were conducted in person and one, because of difficulty in scheduling a meeting, was done entirely by mail. Among the eight areas identified as possible dimensions of the role "college president's wife," five produced agreement among the college presidents' wives interviewed. The three remaining areas were viewed broadly by the presidents' wives as a part of their role but there was no agreement upon how that aspect of the role should be fulfilled. Areas of agreement were social and public role expectations, home and family role expectations, domestic responsibilities, career options, and intellectual— cultural expectations. The presidents' wives did not agree on the areas of participation in institutional and community affairs, influence in the institution and the community, and friendships. Only one of the factors used in the initial selection of the institutional sample appeared to have any influence on the role of the president's wife. That was the geographic location of the institution. Presi- dents' wives residing in college towns felt they were subjected to closer scrutiny than did the wives in urban areas. There was no indication that either institutional Glenda Ann Belote size or status as a public or private college had any influence on the president's wife's role. The major assumption on which the study was based, that the college president's wife plays an identifiable role, was supported by the data gathered in the interviews with college presidents' wives. THE ROLE OF THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT'S WIFE BY Glenda Ann Belote A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Administration and Higher Education 1973 Copyright by GLENDA ANN BELOTE l 9 73 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to extend my thanks to the women who participated in this study. It takes a special kind of concern and courage to allow a perfect stranger into one's home with a tape recorder in one hand and many pages of questions in the other. It is also appropriate at this time to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Charles Blackman, Dr. Vandel Johnson, Dr. Arthur Vener, and the chairperson, Dr. Laurine Fitzgerald, for encouraging me to pursue a rather unusual dissertation topic. I am specially grateful to Dr. Fitzgerald for her criticism of the manuscript, comments, and moral support. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. THE PROBLEM . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . l Supportive Research and Theory. . . . 1 Proposed Research . . . . . . . . 7 Definition of Terms . . . . . . . 7 Limitations . . . . . . . . . . 8 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . 9 II. A REVIEW OF SELECTED LITERATURE . . . . ll The Corporate Executive's Wife. . . . 12 The College President's Wife . . . . 20 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . 33 III. METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Sample. . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Interview Guide. . . . . . . . . 40 Pilot Interview. . . . . . . . . 42 Interviews .7 . . . . . . . . . 44 Advantages and Disadvantages in Inter- viewing. . . . . . . . . . . 45 Presentation of Dat . . . . . . . 47 IV. THE CASE STUDIES . . . . . . . . . 48 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . 48 Case l-—Jane Palmer . . . . . . 48 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Case 2——Helen Logan . . . . . . 70 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . 89 iii Chapter Page Case 3—-Betty Cook . . . . . . . 90 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Case 4--Martha Harris . . . . . . 106 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Case 5--Karen Wilson . . . . . . 118 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Discussion. . . . . . . . . . . 141 Friendships . . . . . . . . 143 Participation in Institutional and Community Affairs. . . . . . . 145 Influence in the Community and on the Campus . . . . . . . 147 Social and Public Role Expectations . 148 Home and Family Role Expectations . . 149 Domestic Responsibilities. . . . . 152 Career Possibilities . . . . 153 Intellectual and Cultural Expec- tations . . . . . . . . . . 154 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . 155 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS . . 156 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Conclusions . . . . . . . 158 Implications for Additional Research . . 171 APPENDICES Appendix A. Initial Letter A . . . . . . . . . 174 B. Letter B--Revised Letter . . . . . . . 176 C. Interview Guide . . . . . . . . . . 177 D. Additional Correspondence——Case 2 . . . . 184 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . 186 iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Selected colleges and universities by status, size, and location . . . . . . . . . 38 2. Responses to initial letter by institution . . 39 v CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics ascribed to the role "college president's wife" by means of interviews with college presidents' wives. From this pilot study, possible directions for further research into specific role dimensions may emerge. Supportive Research and Theory There is a body of literature to support the position that the corporate executive's wife can be either an asset or a liability to his career. Many businesses include a session or two with the wife of a prospective employee in their interviewing process. As Ninki Burger notes, Attention is directed to the wife of the prospect early in the deliberation. Once the recruiter determines that the executive may be "the right man" for the job . . . any adverse information about her is checked out as quickly as possible. If it is valid and significant, it could drop her husband out of the contest even though he is otherwise running strong.l 1Ninki Hart Burger, The Executive's Wife (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1968), p. 117. l Clear guidelines emerge for the executive's wife to follow if she wishes to assist her husband with his career. These include: (1) Routinely circumspect behavior under all cir- cumstances; (2) An ability to adjust to moving and forming new friendships with regularity; (3) Emotional stability and a willingness to be supportive of her husband regardless of the time demands placed on him by his work; (4) The ability to act as social hostess in a wide variety of settings; (5) An ability to handle all domestic problems without putting pressure on her husband; (6) An ability to “keep up" with her husband, both socially and intellectually, as he is promoted; (7) Self—sufficiency in all things. It is considered appropriate for the executive's wife to become involved in community service projects, social groups like local women's clubs, and low-key action programs. WOmen with full-time careers or pro— fessional commitments are generally viewed with mis- trust if they also happen to be married to an executive being considered for promotion.2 Career women are viewed as less committed to their husband's work and more likely to have professional goals of their own. As one writer observed, . . . whether she likes it or not, she and her husband are not solely married to each other. They are both married to his job. And in that simple fact, in that complex reality, lies the basic difference between a wife and an executive's wife.3 Though the importance of the wife is generally played down in the hiring and promoting process, it does exist. The small dinner party with other executives and their wives, the cocktail party, or the casual visit by a company official who just "happened to be in the area,I are all subtle ways used to assess the wife. Companies located in small towns are more likely to be concerned about the wife than are the large urban—based corpor- ations. In the small, one-company town, an executive's wife is visible and cannot be disassociated from the company; in an urban area, however, many executives reside in suburban areas and have relatively little professional identification once they leave their office. 2Vance Packard, The Pyramid Climbers (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p. 58. 3Burger, The Executive's Wife, p. 7. Another dimension to the executive wife's role involves influence, real or perceived, in company decision making. As one young executive observed about the wives of some highly placed executives in his company, "They undermined him (a company vice-president) and he never knew what hit him. . . . You and your wife are either a part of the inner club or you'll be out, and if you're out, you might as well get out of town."4 One wife, following a dinner with her husband's prospective employers commented, " . . . I was even more nervous about meeting all the other executives and their wives. You know how critical women can be of each other, and what an influence they may have on their husbands."5 People do play roles and, according to many, executives' wives play rather carefully prescribed roles in relation to their husband's work. Can the same be said for college presidents' wives? At the October, 1972, annual meeting of the American Council on Education, one segment of the program, a panel discussion, dealt with the role of the college president's wife. Panel members included Catherine Kerr, Elizabeth S. Lyman, Suzanne Armacost, and Ann L. Fuller, 4Packard, The Pyramid Climbers, p. 59. 5Burger, The Executive's Wife, p. 115. all of whom are wives of current or former college presidents, and Alvin Eurich whose special interest is in the future of education. A brief review of the written text of each pre- sentation indicates that the role expectations for the college president's wife do not appear markedly different than those expectations for the executive's wife in busi- ness or industry. One president's wife commented on having to be both " . . . mother and father . . . " to her children because of the time demands placed on her husband by his work.6 She went on to note that a number one responsibility of hers was entertaining, a point with which the other wives concurred. Each president's wife also commented on the need for circumspect behavior at all times and under all conditions. Controversial causes or strong positions on almost any issue were to be avoided. Reflecting on the future role of the college president's wife, Alvin Eurich hypothesized that the stereotyped image or role is disappearing; however, he observed that, "In the minds of many, particularly 6Suzanne S. Armacost, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" (paper presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Council on Education, Miami, Florida, October 6, 1972), p. 1. presidential search committees, a stereotype prevails. "7 Included in this stereotyped image were the following: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) Being wholly absorbed in her husband and his career; Having no close friends; Holding a low profile; Making no decisions for her husband; Never taking strong positions; Being intelligent, well—read, and a good con— versationalist; Being a good mother; Entertaining graciously. To support his contention that this stereotyped role is disappearing, Eurich presents one or two unusual role reversals of recent vintage, including a woman college president whose husband is a vice-president at the same institution. Little, however, of what he offers in support of his hypothesis seems to indicate that there is a changing role for the college president's wife. 7Alvin C. Eurich, "The Passing of the Stereotype" (paper presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Ameri- can Council on Education, Miami, Florida, October 6, 1972), p. l. On the contrary, remarks from the wives would indicate there are very specific dimensions to the role they play and that the role is not changing at all. Proposed Research Because the role of the college president's wife has not been examined in detail as, for example, the role of the business executive's wife has, this study will examine the role dimensions described by women who are currently married to men actively employed as college presidents. Interviews with college presidents' wives will be presented in the form of individual cases, each describing how one woman defines and describes her role. Institutional size, type, and location, all factors which may affect how the president's wife views her role, will be factors used in selection of subjects. Definition of Terms The following definitions will be used through- out this study: Role.--Those expected behaviors which are con- sidered appropriate for the role incumbent. Large college or university.--An institution with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students. Small college or university.—-One with an enroll- ment of 10,000 students or less. Urban college or university.——One located in a metropolitan area in which other businesses provide the bulk of employment for the community. College town.—-One in which the college or uni- versity provides a substantial number of the jobs available to local residents. Public college or university.--One subsidized, at least in part, by state funds. Private college or university.--One that is supported almost entirely by endowments and tuition monies. Limitations There are some limitations inherent in any study which relies on the interview method for data gathering and uses only a small sample. First is the question of representativeness. In—depth interviews with a limited sample will not necessarily include all of the types of women married to college presidents. In addition, the women willing to be interviewed may be very different from the women who decline to discuss their perceptions of their role. Second, will it be possible to generalize from the interviews? Certainly it is possible that some commonly shared views will emerge from this pilot study and point toward some tentative role dimensions. With such tentative directions identified, other researchers might be able to pursue in—depth analysis of various dimensions of the role "college president's wife." Finally, since so little research has been done on the role of the college president's wife, it is possible that there will be ambiguities, contradictory Views based on personal experiences in a particular institution, and evidence of an unwillingness to discuss certain aspects of the role with candor. The latter may occur if there is lack of rapport with the interviewer or absence of trust that confidentiality will be pre- served. Overview In Chapter II, a detailed review of the literature pertaining to both executive and college presidents' wives will be presented. Focusing on the role charac- teristics for each, a list of important elements common to each will be identified and will serve as the basis for development of an interview guide. The research methods employed, including the development of the interview guide, the selection of L.__ , 10 subjects, and special problems encountered will be described in Chapter III. A series of case studies of college presidents' wives based on the data obtained in the interviews will be presented in Chapter IV. A discussion of the cases in relation to possible role dimensions identified in the literature will conclude the chapter. Possible role dimensions common to college presidents' wives and recommendations for future research will comprise the final chapter. r—-.—.-. _ _.....— __._____..__. CHAPTER II A REVIEW OF SELECTED LITERATURE In his book, An Uncertain Glory, Frederic W. Ness discusses salient points regarding a college presidency in the form of letters exchanged between C. F. Coltsworth, a college president with some years of experience, and "Stanley," a young man aspiring to become a college president. One of the letters addressed to Stanley touches on the importance of a wife in his professional life. Ness, speaking as Coltsworth, says: Either before or after the doctorate the aspiring college president should betake unto himself a wife. Her importance, if not otherwise obvious, was under— lined by a study conducted a few years ago in which only two of several hundred college presidents sur— veyed (excluding religious celibates) were unmarried. Since all the presidents' wives whom I know are ladies of infinite charm, marriage would seem to be one of the quintessential requirements. I hasten to add, though, that the lady should not be too glamorous. . . . It helps, of course, if she has received a baccalaureate from one of the leading women's colleges, but I have known some very successful first ladies without so much as a single college degree. It is much more important that she count among her qualifications the ability to take a motherly approach to students and a fatherly approach to student's mothers.8 . 8Frederic W. Ness, An Uncertain Glor (San Fran- Clsco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1972), p. 63. ll 4 NEW iii." 1 ' 1 I ‘E" .. ~5. {‘- ' 9 L. ' ' 12 Though he has idealized and, perhaps, over- dramatized his point, it is clear that Ness feels a college president's wife can be a significant factor in the president's professional life. To provide some basis for the study of college presidents' wives, two related bodies of literature have been reviewed. The first per— tains to corporate executive's wives and the second, somewhat limited in scope, to college presidents' wives. Major sources in the latter category include autobio- graphical works of former college presidents and comments by college presidents' wives. The Corporate Executive's Wife A substantial body of literature dealing with the corporate executive and his life style has emerged in recent years. Woven among the major themes in the literature is a minor theme focusing on the role expectations for the executive's wife. What is the "ideal" corporate wife like? What traits does she possess or, more importantly, which does she not possess? Do large corporations know what quali- ties make a "good executive's wife"? If so, do they seek men who, in addition to being right for the job, have a wife with the "right qualities"? Do executives' wives know what the role expectations are for them? How much freedom do these women have to define their own modus operendi? 13 William H. Whyte, Jr., following an extensive study of corporate executives, noted that: With a remarkable uniformity of phrasing, corpor— ation officials all over the country sketch the ideal [wife]. In her simplest terms she is a wife who (1) is highly adaptable, (2) is highly gre- garious, (3) realizes her husband belongs to the corporation.9 Discussing the corporate executive, Shartle presents an entire section in his book Executive Per— formance and Leadership on "The Role of the Spouse." One executive was quoted as saying, "For some executive positions the spouse plays an important role, and her (or his) competencies are also a factor."10 Another staff person in the same company related, We have a new chief whom we all think is first rate. His wife, however, is a serious liability. She entertains the right people but she is socially inept. This situation is hurting us a great deal and it is almost impossible to do anything about it. You feel you can occasionally offer suggestions to a new boss about something he does, but when the trouble is his wife, what can you say?ll Warner and Abegglen identified four types of wives among those of corporate executives. First, there 9William H. Whyte, Jr., "The Wife Problem," in The Other Half: Roads To Wbmen's Equality, ed. by Cynthia Fuchs Epstein and WiIliam J. Goode (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice—Hall, Inc., 1971), p. 79. 0Carroll L. Shartle, Executive Performance and Leadershi (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prent1ce-Hall, Inc., 9 , p. 214. llIbid. 14 were the women who limited their interests and activities to the home, emphasizing child rearing and other tra- ditional wifely duties. Second were the wives who were actively and extensively involved in community social and civic affairs in addition to maintaining a home. Third, there were the women who served as active and helpful participants in their husband's career. In the fourth group were those women who pursued their own careers separate and apart from their husbands. Reviewing the four types, the authors observed that, The family-centered woman appears not infrequently, but the wife who is heavily engaged in civic affairs and the social life of the community is most fre- quent. The wife who is an active and valued con- sultant in business affairs is rare. The career woman seldom appears.12 Schoonmaker indicated that although some com- panies actually conducted courses for executive wives, . . . most companies don't bother to write out the rules. Knowing that the whole system is working for them, they let wives learn the rules by them— selves. But whether they learn them in the classroom, from a book, or from experience, most wives know the rules and the penalties for violat- ing them.13 w 12W. Lloyd Warner and James C. Abegglen, Big BUsiness Leaders in America (New York: Atheneum, 1963), P- 123. 13 Alan N. Schoonmaker, Anxiet and the Executive Uhnerican Management Association, Inc., 1969), p. 71. I‘ll-Il--__. 15 There is, then, among the writers some agreement that corporations not only have expectations for the wives of executives, but can spell them out in detail when necessary. Whether the wife follows the rules, written or unwritten, can have an impact on her husband's career . What are some of the "rules" that have been identified? N o ooquMh-w O Whyte outlines the following: Don't talk shop gossip with the girls, particu- larly those who have husbands in the same department. Don't extend invitations to superiors in rank; they should make the first move. Never turn up at the office. Don't get too chummy with wives of associates. Don't be disagreeable to any company people. Be attractive. ___ Know your husband's secretary over the phone. Never get tight at a company party.l A few more rules for executive wives have been identified by Packard.15 These include, first, not having any negative attitudes about the commitment her husband must make to his career; the wife should be willing to move, take business trips, and entertain as much as is necessary and without complaint. Second, a wife should not be too conspicuous in her behavior. In no way should she attract attention to herself by being too flamboyant in her dress or by drinking too much at cocktail parties. l4Whyte, "The Wife Problem," pp. 82—83. 15Packard, The Pyramid Climbers, pp. 56—65. 16 Third, a wife should manage the home in such a way that no undue pressure or stress is placed on the executive when he is there. She should always be sympathetic, patient, willing to handle all family matters, and, most importantly, not career—centered herself. Finally, she should make every effort to keep up with her husband, both socially and intellectually, as he advances through the corporate ranks. More suggestions for the successful corporate executive's wife come from Warner and Abegglen who encourage her to: l. accept and work toward the goals set by her husband. 2. tolerate and even encourage long hours, business trips and frequent moves dictated by career needs. 3. provide a non-demanding base of operations and be supportive. 4. not place demands on her husband's time.16 A wife should be home and family centered, according to Warner and Abegglen, but should also possess the requisite social skills necessary at each successive executive level through which her husband passes en route to the top. In addition to the areas noted above, the executive's wife should make every effort to keep lines of communication open between her and her husband, Warner and Abegglen, Big Business Leaders, p. 100. L... i . lull ...; ll ‘il‘J- H, _..: ._ .1 IV. . -. ....I..h.fl., ...}:l.’ ungflififi l7 develop a seemingly endless supply of self—sufficiency, and always maintain her social poise and graciousness. These overt and covert demands placed on the executive's wife, in tandem with the career demands and pressures to which her husband is subjected daily, are likely to produce strain in the marriage relationship and the home life of the executive. Among the most obvious sources of stress observed are the following: 1. The long hours which the executive works, including much time spent entertaining and being entertained. 2. The time spent in travelling for the company often without his wife. 3. Frequent moves which involve complete separation from friends. 4. The necessity for the wife to submerge her goals and accept her husband's. 5. A feeling of inadequacy which develops as the wife is forced to cope with the home, child- rearing, and active community involvement without much support from her husband.18 Divorce, however often it may be threatened, is con- sidered potentially ruinous to a career. Thus, The younger executive . . . turns to extra— curricular activities. . . . The executive's wife considers the children and turns to domestic and social activities. . . . The marriage finds its own level in bland and distant politeness.l9 l7Burger, The Executive's Wife, pp. 8-11. 8Schoonmaker, Anxiety and the Executive, pp. 66— 70. 9Burger, The Executive's Wife, p. 31. 18 Though some corporations are reluctant to acknowledge that they have any specific expectations for wives of executives, others can and do spell out the “rules" in detail. In either case, there are some standards of behavior that are transmitted to the executive's wife, whether by example, by trial and error, or via specific codification of the corporate expectations. Given the emphasis placed on the importance of the wife's role, do many corporations look at a man's wife when they are interviewing for a key executive position? The answer appears to be both yes and no. The editors of Fortune, in one of the early and best publicized studies of the modern corporate executive, suggested that the initial resume sent by the prospec- tive applicant should, " . . . always include information about his wife and family. (A good many companies now insist on interviewing the wives of executive candi- dates.)"20 Packard, on the other hand, suggests that the business of wife-assessing in hiring is generally played down. However, this can vary according to the geographic region in which the company is located and 21 even from company to company. 20Editors of Fortune, The Executive Life (New York: Time, Incorporated, I956), p. 54. 21Packard, The Pyramid Climbers, p. 57. - a n..m........vd.flhfl.3fi$.,.. .... 19 One executive recruiter offered his views on the subject of wife-assessing. He said, The whole purpose of wife watching . . . is not to put the lady on the Spot. We don't give tests like psychologists or psychiatrists. We don't perform high-level professional interviews. We want to be sure she understands the possible new job opportunity for her husband and that she's capable of doing her own job as his wife.22 It would appear that the wife only becomes a significant factor once the husband is well into the selection pro— cess. At that time, all other things being equal, she might swing the decision either for or against him. The criteria used in judging wives appear to be among those listed above. Much interviewing of wives is done informally, often under the guise of a social occasion. Shartle quoted one executive who described the process as follows: When we became interested in Jones, we asked him and his wife to come for a three day visit at our expense. Several members of the staff and their wives were able to see them socially and to show them the town. This was a two-way proposition because we wanted them to look us over, too.23 Commenting on her experience when she was inter- viewed, one wife said, " . . . I guess I expected the 22Burger, The Executive's Wife, pp. 116—17. 23Shartle, Executive Performance, p. 223. 20 worst. Everybody hears such frightening stories about how a company investigates the wife before a man is hired. . . . Instead, it was just a pleasant dinner party at a country club."24 It would appear that most corporations, prior to hiring a key executive, prefer to meet his wife and have some opportunity to assess her. This may be done very formally or as casually as the dinner party described above. In either case, the goal is to ascertain whether or not the wife will be able to perform the duties of an executive's wife, however they might be defined by the company, her husband, or herself. Whereas the interviewing process is apparently optional, the expectations the corporation may hold for the wife of an executive are not; those who do not adhere to the "rules" may damage their husband's oppor- tunity for promotion or prevent him from performing his existing job at a sufficiently high level. The role of the wife is an important one. The College President's Wife Relatively little has been written about the role of the college president's wife, though must has been written in recent years about the college presidency. Modeling his recent study of college and university Burger, The Executive's Wife, p. 114. 21 presidents on early studies of business and governmental leaders done by Warner and Abegglen, Ferrari comments on the president's wife only in terms of her socio— economic status in relation to her husband's at the time of marriage.25 In his 1960 study of role expectations for college and university presidents, Nelson comments only once on the role of the president's wife noting that she may or may not be " . . . active in community activi— 26 ties." Neither author seems to indicate that the wife's role might have any impact on the role of the president. Other authors have commented on the president's wife's role. Ralph Prator, in his book The College President, describes four categories into which he believes college presidents' wives can be divided.27 First are those women who ". . . deliberately work at the role of being the president's wife." These women Channel their energies into activities which serve to M 25Michael R. Ferrari, Profiles of American College BEEEEZEntg (East Lansing: Div1s1on o Researc , Graduate SCh091 of Business Administration, Michigan State Uni- verSlty, 1970), pp. 63-64. S 6Lawrence 0. Nelson, "Role Expectations for electfied College and University Presidents" (unpublished :h.552