Gender Roles in the Dole Household

When Elizabeth Dole was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President Reagan in 1985, the media focused on the Dole marriage—her as a cabinet member, and him as a powerful senator. After a photo appeared showing them making their bed in their apartment, a man wrote a letter to Bob Dole, praising Elizabeth’s capabilities but adding, “You’ve got to stop doing the work around the house. You’re causing problems for men across the…