My siblings’ inheritance depends on who they marry. Is that wrong?

In his response, the ethicist noted: “I’m not sure marriage is the right setting to fight the many genuine inequities in the reward system that you’ll find in college and in our society at large. … But she is under no obligation to edit her husband’s papers, and she has come to experience it not as part of a mutually supportive relationship, but as part of a larger pattern of exploitation. So you should feel free to post bail. It’s not really a gift if she makes you clench your teeth.” (Reread the full question and answer here.)

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His response to wife/publisher it makes my blood boil! Women have been subtly (and overtly) coerced into doing this kind of unpaid, supportive work for far too long. She only benefits from her husband’s success if they stay married. Her time, experience, and energy are devoted to supporting her career, and it is very likely that she also does more than half of the household chores. Social pressure to be “good wives” and “partner helpers” has kept women from thriving throughout history. It’s time for that to end. – Ana

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The letter to the ethicist, and his lukewarm response illustrate a much deeper problem with our understanding of marriage. Must a spouse do unpaid work to support the partner he claims to love above all others? In a word, yes, and not counting the cost. This has literally nothing to do with the many injustices in contemporary academia. – James

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The academy has a long history. of male teachers who benefit from and even depend on the unpaid work of their female colleagues. If the person writing the letter needs another reason to stop doing this unpaid work, she considers the message she sends to her husband’s apprentices. Male postdocs are learning that they should expect a partner to do this editing work for them, and female postdocs are learning that they are expected to do this work for free for their partners. —Beth

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Why shouldn’t your name be added? as one of the co-authors? I am a scientist and I agree that the sector is dominated by men. What the letter writer is doing is much needed, but not much appreciated, just as the background support has been over the years. I think adding his name to the co-authors list would provide equivalent compensation and, more importantly, recognition of his efforts. —Maureen

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As a former state university professor, I have witnessed the exploitation of adjunct professors time and time again, and I recognize that we benefited from the fact that they lightened our own teaching workload by pennies on the dollar. With that in mind, I recommend that you do her own work and let her husband do hers. Editing the articles themselves is part of the writing process and therefore part of your job. Yes, working to be a headline is exhausting, but I don’t know anyone who has used an editor. —Greta