Housewife

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Housewife

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

HOWSS-wyfe  /ˈhaʊswaɪf/

Definition

A woman whose main occupation is managing her household, including caring for children, cooking, cleaning, and maintaining the home, rather than having paid employment outside the home. Also (archaic and dialect): a small case for needlework items, pronounced 'huzzif'.

Plain meaning

A housewife is a married woman who manages the household as her main occupation rather than working for pay outside the home. The term has become contested: some see it as a respectful description of a valid choice; others find it reductive. The word has a long history and a complicated contemporary status in discussions of gender, work, and identity.

Register

Neutral to contested. Housewife is used as a self-description by many women who choose to manage their households full-time; it is considered reductive or demeaning by others. In public discourse it has been partly displaced by homemaker (American English) and stay-at-home parent (more inclusive). In research and official statistics it remains a standard occupational category.