The Poverty of Privilege:

Despite the seeming freedom from many of the economic and other pressures encumbering women in more palpably disadvantaged subgroups, women of the upper classes are faced with considerable numbers of psychological problems. Prevalent among the presenting problems include depression and other disorders related to powerlessness, relationship problems, alcohol and substance abuse, and eating disorders. While increasing numbers of women in lower socioeconomic groups work outside the home, the upper class wife represents the last vestige of the classic patriarchal family: her raison d'etre is to assist her husband and children in perpetuating the power and privilege of her family and class, often leaving her with nothing that is truly her own. She is most likely to present in therapy when widowed or confronted with "losing it all," finding herself with few marketable skills or even basic life competencies. Therapy issues include how to help her develop greater self-acceptance and begin to identify and pursue some of her own dreams; countertranferential issues, such as envy or impatience, may also need to be addressed. The conclusion is reached that ultimately gender transcends class as the major determinant of the quality of upper class women's lives, and that it is crucial that any therapy geared toward helping them become happier and more effective be informed by a strong feminist awareness.