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They want peers who can fit in with their social and work circle and who will advance alongside them. Younger wives might not be as clued-in, so unless it's a second marriage it's not going to work as well. Her career is in the home supporting his career; making sure the dinner parties are hosted, the right people invited, remembering when to send cards and gifts for special occasions to business contacts, helping him navigate the web of relationships, turning up at the right events looking suitable on his arm, and so forth. His suits are pressed and ready for him, the home looks as it should, the exact balance of good taste and understated wealth on display to help him get promotions and move on up in the world. Everything running smoothly in the support system to his career so he can concentrate on work and not on "are the kids going to piano lessons or horse riding after school today? who is going to pick them up? mom is in the hospital, is everything okay on that end?"
OK, horse riding codes rural in America more than upper class. At least in Texas. And upper class housewives do not iron their husband's suit, they take it to the dry cleaners.
Upper class housewives pay(as in enter the credit card number) for private school, they manage IRA contributions, they maximize tax exemptions, they pay the contractors. They host dinner parties. What they don't do is, uh, housework. There's Mexicans for that, as in the Georgian era there were the lower classes for it. It has always been thus.
Definitely depends on the location, but it makes sense to me that Texas would see it as more rural than wealthy in comparison with say, the North East.
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Don't marry her unless she can secure an alliance with the Burgundians.
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Its a cute picture, but I suspect it was true of old people when you where young, more so than it is now. Im from a relatively well-off family, and the only part of this that seems true to live for them and their friends is the last sentence.
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