> Woman works hard at home, gets to not be exposed to 101 harsh realities of life, feels fulfilled, seeing her children grow up.

'harsh realities of life' is - working at an office? Sitting at your computer reading HN? Your view of harsh realities is pretty off-base. Your view of harsh realities is especially off-base if you think that housewives are happily innocent of them.

The most horrific harsh realities happen in homes, the abuses and assaults and neglects. Do you truly imagine that women weren't aware of what was going on in their neighborhoods, with their friends, with the kids?