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.