Joanna Trollope claims ’emotionally ambitious’ women want men and chidren to be ‘dependent’ on them, but then resent them for it
- Joanna Trollope, 76, argues women want men to be ‘dependent’ on them
- Novelist who lives in London, claims females want to maintain a sense of control
- She told The Lady magazine, that her success made her husband feel threatened
Joanna Trollope claims that women want to make men ‘dependent’ on them, but then resent them when they succeed.
The 76-year-old, who lives in London, told The Lady magazine that ’emotionally ambitious’ wives and mothers want to have it ‘every which way’.
She also claims they want to keep control of ‘domestic roles’ in order to maintain a sense of control.
The multi-million selling ‘Aga Saga’ novelist said this ‘passive-aggressive’ behaviour is ‘no good’ and means women have ‘made a rod for their own backs’.
Joanna Trollope, 76, (pictured) who lives in London, believes women are emotionally ambitious and resent when they succeed in making men dependent on them
Joanna who is twice-divorced has penned a new book that examines ‘the so-called ‘sandwich generation’ of middle aged people caught between having to care both for their children and their elderly parents.
This impacts particularly on women who are juggling careers and childcare. But these women haven’t helped themselves, she suggests.
Joanna said: ‘Women are emotionally ambitious: they want to make a man or a child dependent on them, and then they resent them for being dependent.
‘That’s no good – you can’t have it every which way. And it’s classic passive-aggressive behaviour.’
Oxford educated Joanna, claims that women still see domestic chores as their responsibility.
‘Women don’t necessarily want to surrender their domestic roles, which means they sometimes make a rod for their own backs,’ she continued.
The 76-year-old novelist (pictured) said women don’t want to surrender their domestic roles, because it’s a manageable control
‘Women want to control a lot of things in the domestic area because it’s a manageable control.
‘When you’ve had your heart broken almost the best thing you can do is clean the bathroom – because tap-polishing is one of the things you can control.’
The mother-of-two who also has two stepchildren, sprang to fame with the 1991 bestseller The Rector’s Wife.
Her success had an impact on her two marriages, as her husbands – David Potter and Ian Curteis (corr), did not know how to handle it.
She said: ‘My success did make both my husbands feel threatened.
‘They were brought up in a certain way – and I don’t blame them for that.’
Joanna and Ian split up in 2001.
‘It’s no small thing, divorce – it’s an enormous trauma,’ she said.
‘Society still disapproves, so it makes it as hard for you as it possibly can.’
Following the breakdown of her marriage Joanna, had a long term relationship with musician Jason Kouchak which ended two years ago.
She is currently single and concentrating on being a grandmother.
Joanna added: ‘I have reached an equilibrium – at last I’ve come to a realisation that I’m stuck with myself and might as well make something of that.’