Today, we’re going to discuss a trending topic — the rise of the “Trad Wife” movement. If you haven’t heard of it, buckle up, because it’s a doozy. As someone who was raised to be a go-getter, by a mother who used to work in the military and had zero tolerance for BS, even thinking about being a homemaker just seemed forbidden to me. However, the older I got the more I realized — staying at home, cooking meals and cleaning is a lot more fun than working a 9 to 5. But why is it that we started to look down on women who were “just” mothers and wives? And how does the comeback of the “trad wife” change that? Let’s explore it a bit further.
Defining the Trad Wife
First things first, what on earth is a “Trad Wife”? Well, it’s short for Traditional Wife. Think Donna Reed or June Cleaver from those vintage sitcoms. Trad Wives are all about embracing traditional gender roles, with the wife staying at home to take care of the household while the husband brings home the “bacon”. Basically, it’s completely different from the 50/50 ideology that we know and honor today.
Now, before you start thinking this is a ’50s throwback, let’s unpack it a bit. The Trad Wife movement isn’t just about dusting off old-fashioned values and baking cookies (though there’s nothing wrong with baking cookies, just saying). It’s about choice. These women are choosing to embrace domesticity and prioritize their families in a world that often tells them they should be climbing the corporate ladder instead.
But hold on, isn’t this movement a step backward for feminism? That’s a valid question. However, let me remind you of one thing — isn’t feminism about equality? And doesn’t equality also mean having the right to choose? So, if a woman chooses to stay home and raise her kids, that’s just as valid as choosing a corner office. Others see it as a regression, a return to the days when women’s only place was in the kitchen. But I see it as the ultimate lesson of feminism — yes you can go out and become a CEO. However, staying at home and caring for your husband and kids doesn’t make you any less of a boss either.
The Complexity of Choice
Finally, I want to remind you that as empowering as it is to see women owning their choices, whether that’s CEO or SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) — not every woman has the luxury of choice. For some, staying at home isn’t an option because they need to work to support their families. And that’s just the reality of the world that we live in. The economy is a disaster, and sometimes having just one income in the household won’t cut it. However, for others — it will.
I know that there’s also an element of female rage associated with this. Maybe you’re someone who’s working 40-hour weeks, and seeing a woman thrive at home just triggers something in you. And you know that you wouldn’t be able to financially sustain yourself if you did the same. However, being a feminist, or being a decent human being in general also means that you should be able to accept that some people are in different positions than you are — and that’s okay. Life is a pretty unpredictable journey. So, what’s “normal” for you today, doesn’t have to be your “normal” of tomorrow.
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