Um -- "Little Women" is a book published in 1868 and 1869. Every movie with that title is based on the book. I'm emphasising this because you have to look at the original publication context to understand the titling environment.
In 19th century America, the phrase "Little Women" (especially as used by a female author who was a model of female independence) emphasised the fact that, although most of the females in the book, although they are young girls, they are functioning more as small adults rather than as children. The book is essentially a coming-of-age story, and was intended as a children's book for a female audience.
The guy on the forum who's calling his wife "the wife" might be joking, but it's a joke that has a layer of automatic, unrecognised sexism to it. His wife might be posting on Ravelry about how she doesn't tell her husband how much she spends on her hobby -- but she would not be calling him "the husband" as if he were an object.
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In 19th century America, the phrase "Little Women" (especially as used by a female author who was a model of female independence) emphasised the fact that, although most of the females in the book, although they are young girls, they are functioning more as small adults rather than as children. The book is essentially a coming-of-age story, and was intended as a children's book for a female audience.
The guy on the forum who's calling his wife "the wife" might be joking, but it's a joke that has a layer of automatic, unrecognised sexism to it. His wife might be posting on Ravelry about how she doesn't tell her husband how much she spends on her hobby -- but she would not be calling him "the husband" as if he were an object.