DEAR ABBY: "Troubled Wife" should leave her husband at home as you advised. However, she should recognize that he's sabotaging her career. His refusal to attend company parties is a not-so-subtle form of abuse that may eventually make her economically dependent on him.
Her husband's economic sabotage is a clue that she may need to be financially independent in the future. If I were her, I'd set aside a retirement and savings account of my own.
She doesn't really need a husband as an accessory. A purse and shoes to match are sufficient. -- FEMALE PH.D., SAN PEDRO, CALIF.
DEAR FEMALE Ph.D: Now, now! But you're right -- in the business climate of 2002, it's no longer mandatory that a woman be joined at the hip with her spouse.