Fifty years ago a lot of women would have doubted their ability to run a major corporation - today we see women who do it better than men. Women can now do almost anything job they want - but in one area they remain weak. The home.

Wives who attempt to run a marriage usually end up wrecking it! It is as though man has chosen the home as his 'last stand' - where he will defend his idea of masculine rights - to the bitter end. Women who fight this battle alone; without a carefully crafted plan of attack, will fail. We gave these women, our visual aid program, and they each formulated a unique battle plan!

Understand the Scales of Power:

AMY SEEKS BALANCE: 'If a wife takes a little power for herself, the scales barely reflect this. If a wife takes that same power from her husband, this is immediately reflected in their relationship. There appears to be a synergistic action involved. I split all work into two groups. By mixing them up I ensured that whichever list he chose, we'd both be involved with traditional housework. On our first evening together my husband had the flowing choices; iron all our clothes for the next day's work, or cook the evening meal. Later, he had another choice, clearing the table and washing dirty pots or doing the laundry.'

DIANA TAKES THE MONEY ROUTE: 'I knew I had to have financial independence, so I made sure I could sign all check in our joint account,' says one wife, 'but it was only when I took my husband's check book away from him the balance swung in my favour. He now has to ask me for a check when he needs money. It is impossible to describe how much this small change has made to both our lives. I now have to opportunity to question my husband about what he is buying; this in turn gives me the chance to influence those purchases. Men are clever at hiding their weaknesses, especially from other men. My husband doesn't accept invitations to such things as poker games, or hunting weekends - assuming in advance that I would veto such activities, he pretends not to want them. And there is no point in seeing other women - that costs money, and he doesn't have any!'

RITA SEES SEX AS THE PROBLEM: 'I insisted on separate bedrooms. I had the keys to both. He never knew when he was going to get a visit from me, so he always had to be ready for me. He went to great lengths to ensure I enjoyed my visits. I on the other hand always knew when I was going to see him, and was thus always in the mood, correctly attired and eager for it.'

Don't be dependent on your husband:

Amy was determined to retain her independence: 'Too many wives allow him to fill the car with petrol, to wash the car, or to mend a fuse. From the beginning I continued to do the things I had always done for myself. If there were things to learn, he had to show me. But that by itself is not enough - a husband must learn to fend for himself too. I had a whole list of things he had to learn; such as - how to sew a button on his shirt, or how to bake a cake! You simply must understand; the activities a man gets involved with define his whole attitude to life and to his marriage. The husband who plays poker smoking a fat cigar - is a totally different creature to the man with flour on his nose happily pottering about in your kitchen!'

Watch what you wear! Watch what he wears!

Rita - an ex-waitress - knew all too well that the negative aspects of uniforms. 'Women know the power of their own clothing.' She says. 'They know that men react to the subtle signals sent out by each and every garment. But too few women know how they too react to what a man wears! Obviously a soldier's uniform affects a woman, but what about that not-so-obvious male uniform, the suit and tie! All men where that same outfit - whilst women, supposedly slaves to fashion, have no such uniform. I never let him see too much of me in my housewifery clothing. And I made sure he got out of his suit the minute he got home from work. I wore a trouser suit around the house! Men react to what they see; show a man a waitress uniform, he'll bark out instructions!'

Diana did all their shopping: 'I never let my husband buy his own clothes. If he needed something, he had to bring the old garment out and I'd inspect it. I wouldn't necessarily buy anything similar. Thus - over time - his white shirts disappeared to be replaced by pastel shades. His old-fashioned cotton underwear gave way to nylon briefs. Silky nightshirts replaced striped pyjamas - and slowly at first, I persuaded him to try my old clothes. Pants and jeans and shirt type blouse - why ever not? Then my old underpants - who will ever know?'

Don't give an inch on life-style changes!

Amy had seen too many friends change into submissive robots. 'Settling into a marital routine can be fatal. For each and every lifestyle change I made, he had to change something too. If I went into the kitchen, he came too. If he sat down to watch TV, then I joined him. If I was to cook a meal, he had to help prepare it, or bake a cake for desert. If I washed clothes, he ironed them. You can get away with a lot in those early days of marriage, leave it too long and you'll get trapped. I made it a bit of a game; I bought 'his and hers' aprons for example.'

Provoking Resistance:

Rita knew she had to create a crisis. 'It's hard to know how well you are doing until he resists. I couldn't afford to lose the first battle of wills. When it came I wanted it on my terms, so I deliberately provoked him! I bought myself a strap-on device. I visited his room one night and when he saw it sticking out from under my gown he was very angry. In the argument that followed he gave ground. 'When I enter your bedroom,' I told him huskily, 'I don't want any room for doubt. I want to see you shivering with anticipation, waiting for me to make love to you!' He accepted the idea of wearing a nightdress - if I didn't attempt to use the strap-on!

Diana asked her husband to wear a dress. 'I made it sound so reasonable. I have piles and piles of clothes that don't fit me anymore, it simply doesn't make sense not to use them. It would help me feel safe with him. Help us find balance in our relationship. I gradually wore him down. When he finally realised I was determined he broke down. That first time he wept in my arms, now that was a turning-point! I want you bring me a beer while I watch the game on television. I want you to look pretty and vulnerable when you serve dinner.'

Amy used violence. 'I slapped his face. I waited until exactly the right moment and I slapped him very hard. He was appalled. Then I hit him again! We talked it through and I was able to make my point. I was fed up with being a housewife. I wanted him to be the wife and he wasn't taking the hint. I was going to keep on hitting him until and unless he did as he was told. My husband did not fight back, he asked what it was I wanted! I ticked all me requirements of on my fingers; 'Wear a skirt. Wear a nightdress. Wear lipstick - be pretty and be my wife!' I told him, listened to his perfectly reasonable objections, then slapped his face. That night he wore the prettiest pink nylon gown in bed!

Plus: contacts and photo-features!

And: Tales from the - Training School!