In North America, the big social shift of the decade was rural to urban whereas that wasn’t really the case in Britain. During the 1890s, "good wife and wise mother" was taught only in the higher levels where elite, upper-class girls attended. These women faced a number of "conflicting pressures and strains," encountered through sexism, class pressures, the reality of married life based mainly on the expectations of their spouses, and in the case of an immigrant from Jamaica, the realities of racial prejudice. The centrepiece of the book is the Daily Mail Ideal Home exhibition, the yearly showcase for innovations in the post-war homes that could never be built fast enough, and which in 1957 broke records with 1. Ms Nicholson’s easy writing style drew me in and I found myself laughing, crying and raging in equal measure.

She is growing in sanctification, and that is a blessing to those in her sphere of influence, especially her husband and family.If, like me, you were a child in this era the book is like a trip down memory lane and a wallow in nostalgia. The strength and weakness of this book lie in its choice to quote extensively from the lived experiences of women. A lot of the strict gender roles that the book talks about probably still exist in some form of the other today – evangelical purity culture/messaging about femininity reminds me a lot of this. One Newcastle housewife remarked: ‘I’ve a fridge, a washer and a television set, and that’s all I want in life. A wife who listens to good teaching and wise counsel will be better equipped to love her husband in various seasons: in times of triumph and tragedy, when he is easy to love and when he is difficult, before and after having children, and more.

Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes focuses on the lives of women in the UK from both working-class and privileged backgrounds during the 1950s. It was truly sad to see how a pioneering diplomat didn’t even think to continue her career because she had just accepted the idea that women were meant to be housewives instead.However, remember that the concept of a “good wife” is subjective and varies across cultures and individuals. It's so hard to think how different things were for women not that long ago, but the stirrings of emancipation are definitely in the air.