The term housewife!

building_with_lego

I'm a domestic manager . I hate the word "housewife" so don't use it, except on the insurance documents as it reduces the premium, and my paid work is during the evenings.

I don't know *why* I hate "housewife" but I (a linguistics graduate) have a similar issue with "wife". We did some work on gender differences within language: think batchelor/ spinster, wizard/ witch, dog/ b1tch etc, and even husband/ wife had more positive associations with the word "husband" and negative with "wife".


NB: it's telling that I had to use 1 instead of i in the female equivalent of dog ^, isn't it?!

bearcub

I like the term housewife; it's an occupation to be proud of, although maybe a homemaker is better, given that it can be applied to male or female. I was a housewife for 7 years, then worked very part-time for 12 years, so was more housewife than employed for the latter. I was never ashamed of being known as a housewife, and it gave the DDs a good start before going to school. I did get a bit bored towards the end of 'only' being a homemaker, though, hence the reason I worked part-time.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I personally think you should be proud to be called a housewife..

I would love to go back and just run the house etc, and not run my own business...

Especially as we on the old style board

MessyTessie

It's gotta be better than 'economically inactive' that I heard on the radio last week! I think I deal with more than my fair share of the money, DH and I have a deal, he earns it, I spend it :rotfl: I do work part-time but I think at the level I earn I'm probably in the housewife category.

dawn_rose

chief exectutive will do lol. Or decision maker at a push.

[Deleted User]

I don't mind being a 'Housewife' at all, in fact I think it's one of the most necessary occupations there is. I was a stay at home Mum and glad to be able to be one. I get great satisfaction from caring for my DH and our home, processing the things we grow and making our pensions stretch as far as I can. It is only in recent years that the norm has become that both adults in a household go out to paid employment, before that it was expected that the lady of the house would stay at home and do all that was needed. I think we are lucky in that we have choice, but wouldn't change my life one little bit as it has been a very happy one. Old fashioned, that's me!!

craigywv

i am known as THE BOSS ....suits me fine

Puddleglum

It would be nice to be a housewife - at least for a little while. As it is I am the chief earner and do not earn enough to pay for someone to help clean the house. So DH, DD and DS mostly muck in and help while I feel unmotivated, guilty and preoccupied with work. TBH though if I were a housewife, I would be fed up with all the work pretty quickly so hats off to all the housewives out there - you do a great job and it is not a derogatory term.

nmlc

Hi

Just reading everyone's posts with interest on this topic, interesting to hear different people's opinions. Most women I know who work through necessity not choice actually say "they would rather be able to stay at home and be a housewife whilst the children are young" and those that are able to stay at home say "they are in the lucky position of being able to stay at home as a housewife" and they are quite happy to be called a housewife. All my colleagues I work with now actually work because they have too not because they choose too - gone are the days when the women worked for the luxuries etc. I don't feel the term is derogatory either, as a housewife you tend to be in charge of all the day to day running of the house as well as childcare, taxi service etc - it's no different to other job titles - may be we're so conditioned now as women not to stay at home and to have "a career".

Have a great evening, take care everyone x

nmlc x

Patchwork_Quilt

I didn't mind the term 'housewife' until a friend's husband started teaming it with 'lazy'. Unfortunately, it's very difficult for one household to understand how another one runs and many people I have come across cannot believe that unpaid work is worthwhile, even if it takes up all the time available or if it is supporting someone else. Therefore, I've come to dislike it very much. I believe 'homemaker' sounds softer and implies some of the nurturing that goes on, as well as some of the hard work doing domestic chores.