Wife maybe has role — loveless dictator (7)
I believe the answer is:
partner
'wife maybe' is the definition.
(wife is a type of partner)
'role loveless dictator' is the wordplay.
'role' becomes 'part' (eg a part or role in a film).
'loveless dictator' becomes 'ner' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'part'+'ner'='PARTNER'
'has' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for partner that I've seen before include "Sidekick" , "Professional colleague" , "Accomplice" , "south to north, perhaps" , "Husband or wife" .)