Final answer:
The wives found it difficult to treat the Speaker as an equal due to societal expectations and historical gender roles. This reveals the persistent gender inequalities and struggles women have faced in achieving equality.
Step-by-step explanation:
After the war, when men returned home, they expected their wives to resume their subservient roles. However, women resisted these efforts but found little support for their rights inside or outside of the home. This difficulty in treating the Speaker as an equal reveals the persistent societal expectation that women should be subservient to men.
This situation also reflects the historical context of gender roles and expectations. Women were often expected to fulfill domestic duties and faced physical hardships, such as weather and childbirth, without proper assistance. They lacked basic rights, such as property ownership and the ability to sue for divorce or vote.
Overall, the challenges faced by wives in treating the Speaker as an equal highlight the entrenched gender inequalities and the struggles women have historically faced in achieving equality.