03/12/2025
Glückwunsch! https://www.facebook.com/WomenInWorldHistory/posts/pfbid0342JRW2mzrS7orMFZ51hau567bNEh8zg7tZ3wVynV94SVo7YG4BAsyX23ox6yDWDUl
"On March 18, 2005, Caroline Kennedy shocked her family when she enrolled in a PhD program in education policy at Columbia University at age 47, and what had made the decision particularly significant was that Ed Schlossberg had been openly opposed to her pursuing the doctorate, arguing that it was impractical at her age and that her focus should be on their teenage children rather than on starting an intensive academic program that would require years of commitment. The 47-year-old woman who'd spent two decades primarily in wife and mother roles had apparently decided that she'd needed her own intellectual identity and professional credentials separate from being JFK's daughter or Ed's wife, and Ed's resistance to her educational goals had revealed that he'd preferred Caroline to remain in supporting roles rather than developing her own ambitious career trajectory. What makes Ed's opposition to Caroline's PhD so revealing about their marriage dynamics is that he'd built his own career as an artist and designer while expecting Caroline to manage their household and children, but when she'd wanted to pursue her own professional development, he'd suddenly discovered concerns about family priorities and practical considerations that he'd never applied to his own work choices. Caroline had apparently ignored Ed's objections and had enrolled in the program anyway, marking one of the first times in their marriage that she'd prioritized her own goals over his preferences, and her willingness to pursue the PhD despite his disapproval had been noticed by friends as evidence that she'd stopped seeking his approval or valuing his opinion about her life choices. The PhD program had required Caroline to spend extensive time on campus, in libraries, and on research, and Ed had reportedly been resentful about having to adjust his schedule to accommodate her academic commitments, essentially expecting the same flexibility from her that she'd provided him for two decades but being unwilling to reciprocate when she'd finally asked for support. Caroline had completed her coursework and had been working on her dissertation when she'd been offered the opportunity to serve as Ambassador to Japan, and her decision to pause the PhD for the ambassadorship had been framed publicly as prioritizing public service, but friends had revealed that part of her decision had been relief at escaping both the academic pressure and Ed's ongoing resentment about her intellectual pursuits. The PhD enrollment had marked the beginning of Caroline developing an independent professional identity separate from both her Kennedy legacy and her marriage to Ed, and even though she'd hadn't completed the doctorate, the attempt itself had been significant as evidence that she'd been trying to build a life that wasn't defined entirely by family name or spousal relationship. Ed's opposition to Caroline's education had been particularly ironic given that he'd been attracted to her partly because of her intelligence and education, but apparently he'd preferred those qualities as attributes of his wife rather than as foundation for her own ambitious career that would compete for her time and attention. Friends who'd encouraged Caroline to pursue the PhD shared that they'd been frustrated by Ed's lack of support, that after twenty years of Caroline accommodating his career and schedule, his inability to support her intellectual ambitions for even a few years had revealed selfishness that had been present throughout their marriage but had become particularly visible when Caroline had finally asked for something for herself. "
