“We” are going to law school

Each fall new families move into our university ward, and inevitably the husband stands up, introduces his wife, and then says that “we are here for law school” (or for some other medical, business, or graduate program).

In the past, this mode of introduction has bothered me. Since typically only the husband is actually attending school, the statement would strike me as a distortion of the truth that prioritized the husband’s purpose for being in the area while minimizing the wife’s pursuits and goals. That women’s stories become subservient to their husbands’ still makes me uneasy, but recently I have come to value the sentiments that can underlie this statement.