Editing Pauline Phillips (section)

==Personal life and beliefs==
Phillips was considered "the embodiment of female orthodoxy." This attitude carried over into her column in the late 1950s, and she considered women "faintly ridiculous" if they were unable to make their marriages work. Her "code of conduct" was "husband and children first."<ref name=Life/> In her later years, she did not avoid suggesting divorce when a relationship became "intolerable", and considered how a bad marriage might affect children: "When kids see parents fighting, or even sniping at each other, I think it is terribly damaging."<ref name=chronicle>{{cite news|url= http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/458541-dear-abby-advice-columnist-sister-of-ann-landers-dies-at-94 |title=Dear Abby, advice columnist, sister of Ann Landers, dies at 94|work=The Chronicle Herald|location= Canada|date= January 17, 2013}}</ref>

Phillips supported gay rights, and season 1, episode 8 of the [[podcast]] ''[[Making Gay History]]'' is about her.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://makinggayhistory.com/season-one/ |title=Season One |publisher=Making Gay History |access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>

Both Phillips and her sister enjoyed socializing with celebrities, and because of their notoriety, celebrities liked being seen with them. Among Phillips' friends soon after she began her column were politicians, including Senators [[Hubert Humphrey]] and [[Herbert Lehman]]; and entertainers, including [[Jerry Lewis]] and [[Dean Martin]].<ref name=Life/> They also admired Bishop [[Fulton Sheen]], whom they met when learning about Catholicism while studying about other religions. The bishop admired them both in return due to their ability to remain "unawed" and unaffected by the fame of others. Phillips was Jewish, and she commented: "He's one of the greatest men I ever met, but he'll be a Jew before I'm a Catholic."<ref name=Life/>

Phillips was an honorary member of [[Women in Communications]], the [[American College of Psychiatrists]], and the [[National Council of Jewish Women]]. Her columns were collected in ''Dear Abby'', ''Dear Teenager'', ''Dear Abby on Marriage'', ''Where Were You When President Kennedy was Shot?'', ''The Dear Abby Wedding Planner'', and ''The Best of Dear Abby''.<ref name="ups">Universal Press Syndicate historical files.</ref> She said that writing is "only work if you'd rather be doing something else."<ref name=chronicle/> She co-wrote the column with her daughter Jeanne from 1987 until her retirement. In 2002, Phillips' [[Alzheimer's disease]] made it impossible for her to continue writing, and Jeanne assumed all the writing responsibilities of ''Dear Abby''.<ref name="Abby">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/DrJohnson/story?id=128029&page=1|title='Dear Abby' Struggles With Alzheimer's|date=February 12, 2010|author=Johnson, Dr. Tim|publisher=ABC News|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name="ABCNews">{{cite web|last=Fisher|first=Luchina|title='Dear Abby' Advice Columnist Dies|date=January 17, 2013 |url=http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/dear-abbys-pauline-phillips-dies-94-185625189--abc-news-celebrities.html|publisher=ABC News Blogs|access-date=January 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/08/07/dear-abby-creator-has-alzheimers-family-announces/|title=Dear Abby creator has Alzheimer's, family announces|date=August 7, 2002|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>