The very sexist guide to being the perfect wife (but it was the 1930s)

Is your wife "slow to get into bed"? Does she flirt with other men at parties? Or is she "a good hostess – even with unexpected guests", ever ready to "react with pleasure and delight to marital congress"? If so, fill in below and give her a score.

Psychologists in America have discovered a "Marital Ratings Scale" from the 1930s that allowed husbands to assess their wives. Through the scheme, wealthy men could evaluate the social and sexual merits of their partner by awarding plus and minus points for behaviour deemed disappointing, desirable or downright depraved.

In the decade of the Great Depression, the documents reveal that American men of a refined ilk found time to mark their wives down for any number of ostensibly minor misdemeanours. Women who were unwilling to go to bed, or failed to sew buttons on properly, if at all, were given minus points.

Those who failed to darn socks, or decorated themselves with red nail polish, were similarly punished. Any wife who dared to go to bed "with curlers on her hair or face cream" was viewed with suspicion – and worst of all was the woman who put her "cold feet on [her] husband at night to warm them".

Despite the many lifestyle failings for which a wife could be castigated, the Marital Ratings Scale, an invention of the American academic George Crane, offers them manifold opportunities to redeem themselves. For example, they could prove themselves capable of upholding good conversation, or being punctual at meal times.

Wives worthy of respect could keep a tidy house, or put children to bed "personally". They could gain bonus points if they deserved the description "never goes to bed angry – always makes up first", or "lets husband sleep late on Sundays and holidays".

A wife who used "slang or profanity", however, would be docked five points or awarded a similar number for "squeezing the toothpaste from the top".

Yet nothing elicited quite as much point-scoring – or point-deduction – as performance during sexual congress. If a wife should "react with pleasure and delight to marital congress", a bonus 10 points was on offer. If she failed to show sufficient enthusiasm during such moments, a fine of similar proportions could instead be given.

The research, published by the American Psychological Association, shows that Crane also ran a matchmaking service based on his wife test and wrote an agony aunt newspaper column called The Worry Clinic.

His scale encouraged men to add up the scores and give their wives a rating, ranging from "Very Poor (failures)" to "Very Superior".

Interesting? Click here to explore further