Role perceptions of senior politicians’ wives in Israel

This investigation examined how wives of senior politicians perceived their role as the spouse of a politician, and how this perception affected their lives. Ten wives of Israeli senior politicians participated in the study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted individually, with topics and issues specified in advance. Results demonstrated an inherent structural conflict between the personal and the public aspects of the role of ‘politician’s wife’. The lifestyle of the participants influenced their perception of their roles and they reported a selection by preference of the roles that best fit their existing lifestyle. Four different attitudes relating to the women’s roles and lifestyles emerged from their personal stories. Findings were interpreted in terms of the preference approach.