Judy Brady, I Want a Wife Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is obviously looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife?

The Cut In 1971, New York’s year-end issue included a 30-page preview of a new magazine. Ms. was its name, and Gloria Steinem, a New York columnist since our own launch three years earlier, was its founding editor. (The table of contents read “Ms. is devoted to today’s women considered as full human beings.”) One of the shortest pieces in the package — just one page — turned out to be one of the most durable: “I Want a Wife,” by Judy Syfers. She’d written it as a speech for a rally in San Francisco the previous year, and it also appeared in the premiere stand-alone issue of Ms. shortly thereafter.