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0 / 42 Fotos
Merits
- Each chart came with a list of things for which you can either receive merit or demerit points. At the end, you would have to subtract your demerit score from your merit score, and the higher the number, the better the partner. Here are some merits for men.
© Shutterstock
1 / 42 Fotos
Husband's merits: Gives wife ample allowance or turns pay check over to her
- This generous deed will get you five merit points!
© Shutterstock
2 / 42 Fotos
Frequently compliments wife
- The chart gives the examples of compliments regarding her looks, cooking, housekeeping, etc., and offers men five points for those sweet nothings.
© Shutterstock
3 / 42 Fotos
Remembers birthdays, anniversaries, etc
- Another five merit points for simple memory!
© Getty Images
4 / 42 Fotos
An ardent lover who sees that wife climaxes in marital congress
- This one would get men a well-deserved 20 merit points!
© Shutterstock
5 / 42 Fotos
Courteous to wife’s friends
- Your partner's friends can still be a tricky topic today, but if the husband was nice to his wife's friends he'd earn a merit point.
© Getty Images
6 / 42 Fotos
Helps with dishes, caring for children, scrubbing
- It says "helps with," as it was assumed this was a woman's task.
© Getty Images
7 / 42 Fotos
Polite and mannerly even when alone with wife
- The second half of that sentence is a little worrisome.
© Getty Images
8 / 42 Fotos
Has date with wife at least once per week
- If you have more than one date with your wife every week, you can collect five merit points per date.
© Shutterstock
9 / 42 Fotos
Reads newspaper, books, or magazines aloud to wife
- Because she can’t read?
© Shutterstock
10 / 42 Fotos
Steady worker and good provider
- The duty of providing for the family was a heavy one for men to bear, but at least it earned them five points?
© Shutterstock
11 / 42 Fotos
Husband’s demerits: Stares at or flirts with other women while out with wife
- This would cost you five demerit points, and today it may cost you even more.
© Shutterstock
12 / 42 Fotos
Publicly praises bachelor days and regrets having married
- The audacity of regretting your marriage out loud in public is surprisingly only one demerit point.
© Shutterstock
13 / 42 Fotos
Reads newspaper at the table
- Unless, perhaps, he's reading it to his wife?
© Getty Images
14 / 42 Fotos
Fails to come to table promptly when meal is ready
- It was also assumed that wives would always have meals ready on time.
© Getty Images
15 / 42 Fotos
Brings guests home for meals without warning wife
- They couldn't just order takeout to accommodate for the extra mouths!
© Shutterstock
16 / 42 Fotos
Doesn’t phone when late for dinner
- This demerit still stands today.
© Shutterstock
17 / 42 Fotos
Compares wife unfavorably with his mother or other wives
- This is cruel for any wife to experience, and it would earn husbands five demerit points.
© Getty Images
18 / 42 Fotos
Criticizes wife in public
- It doesn't specify anything about in private, but publicly this would cost five demerit points.
© Shutterstock
19 / 42 Fotos
Leaves dresser drawers open
- This is still one of the hilariously petty arguments only married people have.
© Shutterstock
20 / 42 Fotos
Snores
- Not much you could do about this one back in the '30s.
© Getty Images
21 / 42 Fotos
Wife's merits: A good hostess-even to unexpected guests
- Despite the fact that he will be receiving demerit points for his unexpected guests, the wife is still expected to be a good hostess.
© Getty Images
22 / 42 Fotos
Dresses for breakfast
- No pajama breakfasts for wives!
© Shutterstock
23 / 42 Fotos
Neat housekeeper
- For keeping things clean and tidy, wives earned one merit point.
© Shutterstock
24 / 42 Fotos
Can play a musical instrument
- The chart specifies an instrument like the piano or violin. Learning it only earned women one merit point.
© Shutterstock
25 / 42 Fotos
Can carry on an interesting conversation
- Interesting on whose terms, we can probably guess.
© Shutterstock
26 / 42 Fotos
Personally puts children to bed
- Tucking them in earned wives one merit point.
© Getty Images
27 / 42 Fotos
Never goes to bed angry, always makes up first
- If you swallow your pride and you're always the one to say sorry first, you will earn five merit points.
© Shutterstock
28 / 42 Fotos
Reacts with pleasure and delight to marital congress
- For enjoying sex, or at least looking like she was enjoying sex, she would receive 10 points.
© Getty Images
29 / 42 Fotos
Religious—sends children to church or Sunday school and goes herself
- Women would earn a whopping 10 points for this one.
© Getty Images
30 / 42 Fotos
Lets husband sleep late on Sunday and holidays
- While she gets dressed, makes breakfast, cleans up, and takes the kids to church, she's also not supposed to make noise so her husband can sleep in.
© Shutterstock
31 / 42 Fotos
Wife’s demerits: Doesn’t like children
- This is an interesting addition, since the chart largely assumed that a married couple already has children. Anyway, it would cost you five demerit points.
© Shutterstock
32 / 42 Fotos
Slow in coming to bed—delays until husband is almost asleep
- That is to say, if the wife was avoiding that marital congress, she would get a demerit point.
© Getty Images
33 / 42 Fotos
Fails to sew on buttons or darn socks regularly
- Not many women today know how to do this, but it was expected of a wife in the '30s.
© Shutterstock
34 / 42 Fotos
Wears red nail polish
- Red nail polish was clearly the signal of a deeper character flaw that was absolutely unsuitable for a wife.
© Getty Images
35 / 42 Fotos
Often late for appointments
- Mind you, she had to look pretty, but if it took too long, it would cost her five demerit points.
© Shutterstock
36 / 42 Fotos
Seams in hose often crooked
- Yes, if the seam in your nylons wasn't running straight down your leg, that was considered part of being a bad wife.
© Getty Images
37 / 42 Fotos
Goes to bed with curlers on her hair or much face cream
- You had to look beautiful for breakfast the next day, but you also had to be appealing for all that marital congress.
© Getty Images
38 / 42 Fotos
Puts her cold feet on husband at night to warm them
- Today, this might earn you a squeal and a giggle, but back then it was an offense to your partnership
© Shutterstock
39 / 42 Fotos
Is a back-seat driver
- Women typically weren't assumed to be driving, but they also couldn't comment on or criticize the driver's actions and decisions.
© Shutterstock
40 / 42 Fotos
Flirts with other men at parties or in restaurants
- It's interesting that husbands got five demerits if they flirted specifically in front of their wives, but wives got five demerits for flirting at all. See also: Bizarre marriage and divorce laws from around the world.
© Shutterstock
41 / 42 Fotos
© Shutterstock
0 / 42 Fotos
Merits
- Each chart came with a list of things for which you can either receive merit or demerit points. At the end, you would have to subtract your demerit score from your merit score, and the higher the number, the better the partner. Here are some merits for men.
© Shutterstock
1 / 42 Fotos
Husband's merits: Gives wife ample allowance or turns pay check over to her
- This generous deed will get you five merit points!
© Shutterstock
2 / 42 Fotos
Frequently compliments wife
- The chart gives the examples of compliments regarding her looks, cooking, housekeeping, etc., and offers men five points for those sweet nothings.
© Shutterstock
3 / 42 Fotos
Remembers birthdays, anniversaries, etc
- Another five merit points for simple memory!
© Getty Images
4 / 42 Fotos
An ardent lover who sees that wife climaxes in marital congress
- This one would get men a well-deserved 20 merit points!
© Shutterstock
5 / 42 Fotos
Courteous to wife’s friends
- Your partner's friends can still be a tricky topic today, but if the husband was nice to his wife's friends he'd earn a merit point.
© Getty Images
6 / 42 Fotos
Helps with dishes, caring for children, scrubbing
- It says "helps with," as it was assumed this was a woman's task.
© Getty Images
7 / 42 Fotos
Polite and mannerly even when alone with wife
- The second half of that sentence is a little worrisome.
© Getty Images
8 / 42 Fotos
Has date with wife at least once per week
- If you have more than one date with your wife every week, you can collect five merit points per date.
© Shutterstock
9 / 42 Fotos
Reads newspaper, books, or magazines aloud to wife
- Because she can’t read?
© Shutterstock
10 / 42 Fotos
Steady worker and good provider
- The duty of providing for the family was a heavy one for men to bear, but at least it earned them five points?
© Shutterstock
11 / 42 Fotos
Husband’s demerits: Stares at or flirts with other women while out with wife
- This would cost you five demerit points, and today it may cost you even more.
© Shutterstock
12 / 42 Fotos
Publicly praises bachelor days and regrets having married
- The audacity of regretting your marriage out loud in public is surprisingly only one demerit point.
© Shutterstock
13 / 42 Fotos
Reads newspaper at the table
- Unless, perhaps, he's reading it to his wife?
© Getty Images
14 / 42 Fotos
Fails to come to table promptly when meal is ready
- It was also assumed that wives would always have meals ready on time.
© Getty Images
15 / 42 Fotos
Brings guests home for meals without warning wife
- They couldn't just order takeout to accommodate for the extra mouths!
© Shutterstock
16 / 42 Fotos
Doesn’t phone when late for dinner
- This demerit still stands today.
© Shutterstock
17 / 42 Fotos
Compares wife unfavorably with his mother or other wives
- This is cruel for any wife to experience, and it would earn husbands five demerit points.
© Getty Images
18 / 42 Fotos
Criticizes wife in public
- It doesn't specify anything about in private, but publicly this would cost five demerit points.
© Shutterstock
19 / 42 Fotos
Leaves dresser drawers open
- This is still one of the hilariously petty arguments only married people have.
© Shutterstock
20 / 42 Fotos
Snores
- Not much you could do about this one back in the '30s.
© Getty Images
21 / 42 Fotos
Wife's merits: A good hostess-even to unexpected guests
- Despite the fact that he will be receiving demerit points for his unexpected guests, the wife is still expected to be a good hostess.
© Getty Images
22 / 42 Fotos
Dresses for breakfast
- No pajama breakfasts for wives!
© Shutterstock
23 / 42 Fotos
Neat housekeeper
- For keeping things clean and tidy, wives earned one merit point.
© Shutterstock
24 / 42 Fotos
Can play a musical instrument
- The chart specifies an instrument like the piano or violin. Learning it only earned women one merit point.
© Shutterstock
25 / 42 Fotos
Can carry on an interesting conversation
- Interesting on whose terms, we can probably guess.
© Shutterstock
26 / 42 Fotos
Personally puts children to bed
- Tucking them in earned wives one merit point.
© Getty Images
27 / 42 Fotos
Never goes to bed angry, always makes up first
- If you swallow your pride and you're always the one to say sorry first, you will earn five merit points.
© Shutterstock
28 / 42 Fotos
Reacts with pleasure and delight to marital congress
- For enjoying sex, or at least looking like she was enjoying sex, she would receive 10 points.
© Getty Images
29 / 42 Fotos
Religious—sends children to church or Sunday school and goes herself
- Women would earn a whopping 10 points for this one.
© Getty Images
30 / 42 Fotos
Lets husband sleep late on Sunday and holidays
- While she gets dressed, makes breakfast, cleans up, and takes the kids to church, she's also not supposed to make noise so her husband can sleep in.
© Shutterstock
31 / 42 Fotos
Wife’s demerits: Doesn’t like children
- This is an interesting addition, since the chart largely assumed that a married couple already has children. Anyway, it would cost you five demerit points.
© Shutterstock
32 / 42 Fotos
Slow in coming to bed—delays until husband is almost asleep
- That is to say, if the wife was avoiding that marital congress, she would get a demerit point.
© Getty Images
33 / 42 Fotos
Fails to sew on buttons or darn socks regularly
- Not many women today know how to do this, but it was expected of a wife in the '30s.
© Shutterstock
34 / 42 Fotos
Wears red nail polish
- Red nail polish was clearly the signal of a deeper character flaw that was absolutely unsuitable for a wife.
© Getty Images
35 / 42 Fotos
Often late for appointments
- Mind you, she had to look pretty, but if it took too long, it would cost her five demerit points.
© Shutterstock
36 / 42 Fotos
Seams in hose often crooked
- Yes, if the seam in your nylons wasn't running straight down your leg, that was considered part of being a bad wife.
© Getty Images
37 / 42 Fotos
Goes to bed with curlers on her hair or much face cream
- You had to look beautiful for breakfast the next day, but you also had to be appealing for all that marital congress.
© Getty Images
38 / 42 Fotos
Puts her cold feet on husband at night to warm them
- Today, this might earn you a squeal and a giggle, but back then it was an offense to your partnership
© Shutterstock
39 / 42 Fotos
Is a back-seat driver
- Women typically weren't assumed to be driving, but they also couldn't comment on or criticize the driver's actions and decisions.
© Shutterstock
40 / 42 Fotos
Flirts with other men at parties or in restaurants
- It's interesting that husbands got five demerits if they flirted specifically in front of their wives, but wives got five demerits for flirting at all. See also: Bizarre marriage and divorce laws from around the world.
© Shutterstock
41 / 42 Fotos
How would you score on this 1930s marriage test?
Promptness and courtesy make the most successful romances, apparently...
© Shutterstock
George W. Crane was an author, lecturer, educator, psychologist, and doctor of medicine, who had both an M.D. and a PhD. On top of that, he ran a counseling practice and matchmaking service in the 1930s. All that is to say, he was highly regarded in his time as a relationship expert. His work eventually led to the creation of a marital test, designed to help husbands and wives see how well they or their partner were doing in the marriage, and where they needed to improve.
Naturally, as many things have changed since the etiquette of the 1930s, the standards for married couples was very different back then, and almost laughably so. Click through to see a sample of his extensive test, and find out how well you and your partner would have fared.
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