Evidence of the Affair

The 1970s marked a period of significant social change in the United States, particularly regarding gender roles and women’s rights. Books like Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963) had laid the groundwork for women to question traditional domestic roles, and by the 1970s, those ideas had entered the cultural mainstream. The second-wave feminist movement pushed for greater equality in education, work, and personal autonomy, and legislation passed at this time reflected this effort: Title IX (1972) expanded women’s educational opportunities, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (1974) allowed women to obtain credit cards and loans without a male cosigner. Divorce laws also became more lenient, allowing women to leave unsatisfying or unfaithful marriages with less stigma. Culturally, women increasingly sought fulfillment outside of the domestic sphere, pursuing careers, higher education, and creative ambitions. These changes meant many women enjoyed more independence and agency than they had in earlier decades.

Despite these advances, traditional gender expectations still lingered in the 1970s. New freedoms existed alongside deeply ingrained cultural expectations of women. Marriage and motherhood were still considered the ultimate markers of female identity, and men’s infidelity was often excused or normalized while women’s was stigmatized. The cultural progress of the decade was frequently undermined by conservative ideals that defined women by their roles as wives and caretakers.

In Evidence of the Affair, this tension between new freedoms and old expectations hangs over the characters as they are caught between tradition and cultural change. Carrie embodies this conflict, feeling suspended between two opposing ideals. Her declaration, “I just wanted to marry a nice man who made a good living and have children” (26), aligns her with the traditional role of the loyal wife. However, her inability to become pregnant prevents her from fully realizing this ambition. As the novella progresses, Carrie’s definition of herself as “no women’s libber” (26) is eventually undercut by her decision to leave her husband and claim her autonomy. Her personal journey illustrates the broader impact of the women’s liberation movement.