Jill Taylor: Challenging Her Macho Husband
Jill Taylor was the matriarch of the 1990s show Home Improvement. Although married to the decidedly macho Tim the “Tool Man”, she was a strong woman in her own right. Jill was played by Patricia Richardson, who apparently urged the writers to ensure that she wasn’t a “perfect” character because even mothers have flaws. She was a mom of three boys who originally struggled to find a job and regularly argued with her rather conservative husband about women’s roles in the household. Ultimately, she goes back to school and earns a psychology degree, showing that a woman’s place is wherever they want it to be.
