NYT Ch.3 A Marriage of Unequal's

In "A Marriage of Unequal's", the author presents an uncommon marriage of a couple where both of them come from two distinctive classes. Class struggle has been an on-going issue in society continuously and it is seldom to see that two different classes can come together. The marriage between Dan Croteau and Cate Woolner, however, overthrows the general view that people commonly hold. As a matter of fact, there are many similar marriages like Croteau and Woolner but with a slight difference in who is responsible in earning income and who earns more income.

The point that I am referring is that in most marriages, husbands tend to earn more money than wives and in fact, there are many men coming from upper or middle class marrying working and lower class women. Yet, people do not have any trouble with such marriages because men are often identified as the one who yields power, therefore, they do not feel that marriage is unequal. On the other hand, Croteau and Woolner's marriage is perceived as unequal because it is uncommon to see a wife who is richer than the husband due to the general view on gender roles. Nevertheless, I agree that the class gap between Croteau and Woolner makes it difficult to for them to adapt either of their class position. For example, although Croteau receives the opportunity to be further educated for a better job, he states that his experience as a communication manager expects him to know and complete everything with being briefed. However, working class jobs tell him what to do exactly (57). This example illustrates that the sense of preoccupation in class greatly influences ones thought and behavior towards other classes. Even though Croteau seems better off than before, the condition actually makes him feel less comfortable and more pressured since he has to catch up with Woolner's class position. The article reveals that how class-consciousness is embodied in our minds as we are born into a particular class, which is most likely to determine what you are in the future.