Insider Quote: An Accepted Part of Culture

"Until the 1970s, female officers who married were expected to leave the Service. There was no legal or regulatory justification for this; it was just an accepted part of the culture. Wives of officers were expected to provide uncompensated services at posts, usually at community activities or representational events. In fact, annual efficiency reports included a paragraph to be written on the officer’s wife – often by the wife of the American ambassador."

Jack Zetkulic Senior Foreign Service Officer U.S Diplomatic History in Brief – a Foreign Service Perspective From Historical Sketches: US Diplomacy