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Mother-in-Law or Monster-in-Law?
I have a few questions about my new role
My older is getting married this fall and it has suddenly hit me that I will be a mother-in-law.
We’ve all heard mother-in-law jokes. Popular in the 1950s and a common genre among stand-up comedians, the jokes relied heavily on the idea that mothers-in-law are overbearing, obnoxious, intrusive and mean.
I mean, can you picture Jane Fonda in the 2005 movie Monster-in-Law?
A 2002 study found that the “evil mother-in-law” stereotype may have evolved from their finding that for young German women in the 18th and 19th centuries, having their mother-in-law around increased the chances of their child dying — a result University of California, Berkeley, anthropology professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes, calls “stupid biological arguments.”
Luisa Dillner, author of the 2010 book The Complete Book of Mothers-in-Law, traces their harsh treatment to Roman times, citing first-century satirist Juvenal who advised couples should give up any hope of marital peace as long as their mother-in-law is alive.
As she writes:
“Historically mothers-in-law have been the butt of jokes and the subject of more serious vilification. It’s a role that has existed throughout the ages but not one that women…
