In Praise of the Anti-Feminists Defending Domesticity

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Commentary

The English TV personality Susanna Reid once said, “Women telling men to step out of roles so they can step into them isn’t going to endear people to feminism,” nor “is telling women they are betraying feminism by enjoying the pleasures of being a traditional housewife.”

Wise words. Sadly, in these hyper-modern, ridiculously polarizing times, where the ideas of oppression and equality have been distorted and weaponized, very few women are willing to heed them. All is not lost, however; a few brave females are taking to social media to defend the lost art of being a homemaker.

To understand why they must defend being a housewife, one must first understand why being a housewife has been demonized, and where the demonization stems from.

Today, an increasing number of women are prioritizing their careers over starting a family. They would much prefer to have a high-ranking position than get married and start a family. Although it’s not wise to make everything political, I would be remiss not to point the finger at those who lean left. After all, Democrats are very much the pro-abortion party. A pro-abortion stance isn’t really compatible with the idea of strong family values. It’s not compatible with the idea of traditional parental duties. Pregnancy has been demoted, and with this demotion, the idea of being a traditional housewife has been relegated—dare I say demonized.

Young women are now encouraged to be strong and independent. Independent of what, exactly? Men and children, that’s what. Independent, in this context, is really a synonym for unburdened. Children are viewed not as gifts to be cherished, nurtured, and loved, but as obstacles to progression and personal growth.

Now, of course, a woman should be allowed to do as she wishes. I’m not here to tell women how to live their lives. I’m here to defend those who wish to be defined by something greater than a flashy job title. I’m here to point out the fact that getting married, having a child, and dedicating one’s life to enriching the lives of others shouldn’t be ridiculed—and it most definitely shouldn’t be compared to slavery.

The downgrading of pregnancy is inextricably linked with the downgrading of housewifery, and the downgrading of housewifery is inextricably linked with the downgrading (and denigration) of marriage. Some left-leaning commentators argue, rather unconvincingly, that marriage is a tool of the patriarchy, an “inherently unfeminist institution” that must be demolished.

When second-wave feminism began in the 1960s, criticisms of the patriarchy carried much more weight. However, today, in a post-#MeToo world, the idea that we live in patriarchal times is, at best, ludicrous. Do patriarchal societies exist? Of course they do. But the United States isn’t Saudi Arabia or Iran. Women have never been freer—freer to choose careers, romantic partners, and whether or not to have a child. A refusal to accept this reality is extremely frustrating.

But, freedom comes at a price. You see, this freedom has resulted in a paradox of sorts, with an increasing number of people placing their lives in the hands of major corporations. They commute ridiculously long distances, occupy positions of employment that, on reflection, make them miserable, and repeat the process for years, even decades, until they die. Across the country, as Gallup reported last year, almost 50 percent of workers find their jobs inherently stressful. Some 41 percent of employees are worried on a daily basis. More than 20 percent are sad on a daily basis, and 18 percent are angry on most working days. Is this any way to live life?

Women account for almost 50 percent of the country’s workforce. Levels of depression for women working outside the home are dangerously high. This is just one of the reasons why young women such as Estee Williams are trading the rat race for a simpler, arguably healthier, way of life.

A recent piece published by Today.com described the life of Williams, a 25-year-old traditional homemaker. She loves her husband, and she loves her life.

“It’s 2023 and this is my choice,” Williams said. She’s right. It is.

Williams is part of the “tradwife” (traditional wife) movement, a collection of mostly Christian, conservative millennial and Gen Z females who are, we’re told, “leaning out of the workforce and into homemaking.“ According to the piece, ”This decision is not primarily logistical or economical; instead, it is philosophical.”

Some tradwives “say the demands of corporate America have made them long for a so-called ‘simpler’ time.”

And who can blame them? Just like depression, rates of burnout are extremely high for women working outside the home. The rat race creates very few winners but no shortage of losers. For millions of Americans, many of whom happen to be women, the constant hustle is driven by extrinsic factors—a desire to earn more money, secure a promotion, buy a bigger house, etc. The desire to be a housewife, however, appears to be driven by intrinsic desires.

For those who scoff at the idea of being a housewife, ask yourself, what’s so funny? Society focuses so much on a supposed shortage of male role models. But what about female role models? If anything, there are far fewer appropriate female role models than male role models. This is particularly true on social media, where inordinate amounts of young women look for inspiration. The tradwife movement must be viewed from a much broader perspective; it’s a rejection of the current prescription being offered to the women of America.

Contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with white supremacy or the romanticization of sexism. The tradwife movement is a rebuttal to the idea that “real women” are entirely independent, solitary islands in need of nothing but a flashy job title and a ridiculously exaggerated LinkedIn bio.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.