My wife and I used to commute together. It was economical. It was also scary.

Trapped in traffic in a minivan, arguments that merely simmered at home, boiled over like a hot radiator. Driving to work was bad, but driving home was worse. The problem was all the repressed rage that had built up during the workday. Normal people find a healthy outlet for their frustration — they drink.

We drove. Crawling along in rush hour, the Missus and I didn't have to hunt for a target to unload on — we had each other. I know we had promised to love each other, until "death do us part," but this was worse than death. This was commuting.

With this kind of experience on my resume, you will understand why I was so interested in an article titled "Would You Hire Your Husband?" in The New York Times on June 29. According to reporter, Geraldine Fabrikant, women all across America are hiring their hubbies.

As Ms. Fabrikant writes:

"At a time when high-profile women have suffered some shocks on Wall Street and when women in general still struggle for pay parity, a group of entrepreneurs have proved that women are comfortable not only with running their companies, but also having their husbands working for them."

Being a no-profile person myself, I can't profess to understand what is in the minds of these high-profile females, or why, with a world full of able, eligible candidates they decide to look no further than the other side of their king-sized bed. In your case, the hiring entrepreneur would have to recruit you from the den, where you were sleeping peacefully on the davenport under a blanket of empty beer cans, but you get the point.

Hiring your husband is one thing. Managing him is another. According to the article, the job of successfully supervising your spouse requires the woman to "make a conscious effort to ensure that her mate is getting appropriate recognition." Apparently, some men are so lacking in self-esteem that their sensitive egos get squished when delivering the kind of bowing and scraping most bosses require.

"Men and women are made differently," explains Laura Colin, the author of "Family, Inc.," a study of family businesses. "It is the testosterone thing — men are more compelled to dominate and get credit than women are."

But is the problem of a man's testosterone level on the level? Not all men have a need to dominate in every situation, though you do have to admit, it would be nice to have one area of your life in which you can rule the roost. It's bad enough being a lackey at home; you don't want the same position at work.

Actually, the whole power struggle between husband and wife in the workplace is a lot more complicated that the "Me Tarzan. You CEO." scenario described above. According to an unnamed Chicago therapist interviewed by Fabrikant, "a wife's fear of making her husband feel emasculated in the workplace is a real consideration."

Pure nonsense. If men were afraid of emasculation, we'd never get married.

Husbands, who work for their wives, not only have to walk on eggs at work, but face the ridicule of their buddies when the workday is over. One female CEO describes the "Who's the Boss?" situation as "uncomfortable" simply because other men made fun of it. "Oh, you can't get a job except working for your wife," went the teasing and the taunting when hubby stopped by for a midday attitude adjustment at the Kit Kat Klub.

I suppose this would be demeaning, but it's certainly not the worse situation. How many of us are working at jobs we hate because our wives won't hire us? They're way too smart.

Often, what makes the wife-boss scenario work is a clear delineation of duties — at work and at home. Many of the husbands interviewed had certain areas of expertise, which freed the wife to do what she did best. Men, who were tasked with taking out the garbage at home, were given specific critical duties at the office, like managing the executive coffee-run. This gave the wife time to do high-level thinking, such as strategizing on whether she should replace her hubby with the hunky new hire in the shipping department.

Bottom line: If you don't get along with your bosses, consider yourself lucky. You may have to take their garbage, but you'll never have to take out their garbage.

Bob Goldman has been an advertising executive at a Fortune 500 company in the San Francisco Bay Area. He offers a virtual shoulder to cry on at bob@funnybusiness.com. To find out more about Bob Goldman and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.