Even among women who are Mrs. Clinton's natural constituents, there is criticism about what they call "the Hillary situation." Some leading Democratic women privately worry that, while Mrs. Bush may be the last of the First Ladies who have never worked outside the home, the public is still skittish about the idea of a First Lady who is more involved in substance than ceremony.

These critics say that the Clintons may have pushed too hard on the concept of an unprecedented partnership in the White House, and suggest that they should wait until after the election to break precedents.

There was Mr. Clinton's suggestion, since revoked, that he might give his wife a Cabinet job. And there was Mrs. Clinton's petulant defense on conflict-of-interest questions about her legal career in Arkansas, when she said she could have "stayed home, baked cookies and had teas."

One Republican campaign official suggests that it is less her sex than her demeanor, noting that Mrs. Clinton is "a hall monitor" type whose drive and earnestness are offputting: "She doesn't complement Clinton because she appears to be another liberal policy wonk. It doesn't seem like a family -- more like a merger."

Mrs. Clinton is far more articulate than the two men on the Republican ticket, but she lacks her husband's ability to stir emotions with speeches. She can be an amiable companion, but she has a studious turn of mind. Even when chatting with the television reporter about hair and perceptions, she asked, "Has anybody done a survey or study about that?" Walking a Narrow Line

Ruth Mandel, the director of the Center for Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers, is sympathetic to women in politics who must walk a narrow line to avoid offending various constituencies.

"Hillary Clinton's life and behavior represent the changes that have taken place in women's lives and marriages, and yet she is faced with the dilemma of not confronting the public with the extent of those changes," Ms. Mandel said. "When it comes to women, people are not ready to take more than a teaspoonful of change at a time."