The Trad Wife Movement Is Growing. Here’s Why.

Although trad wives are still a minority in the modern world, there is a growing movement of women that are choosing to forego a career to stay home and take care of their kids, husband and domestic duties. Even with the polarity in beliefs today, an increasing number of young women don’t feel that the feminist narrative speaks for them. This is also the case for a number of seasoned career-women who have had a dreadful taste of the corporate world, are seeing the benefits of living a traditional lifestyle and are striving to transition back to one. So, what does it mean to be a “trad wife” and what are the benefits of doing so? This blog post will give you a brief look into what many trad wives have in common and why they believe this calling is best for themselves, their families and their communities.

It worked for our Grandparents, Great Grandparents and Ancestors

Many who have decided to go down this road have had grandparents who were married 50+ years. We are familiar with the fond sentiment of “grandma’s cooking” and the important life skills learned from our grandparents. They surely went through hardships at times and did not have perfect lives, but we admire their commitment to one another and to their family. Even further back than this, our ancestors took on similar gender roles. The men would hunt and bring back food to feed their families and the women would care for the children and the village. Men and women had a complementary and symbiotic relationship. We can see that even if we don’t have any role models to look to in our immediate family.

Up until fifty or sixty years ago “trad wives” were the norm. There was not even a term for it (except perhaps “homemaker”), which was a respected title. It was just the way things were, and for the most part, it worked very well. The man went out from sun up until sun down at his job (usually a strenuous, stressful one at that) and took on the responsibility of making sure his family was provided for. The woman took care of domestic cleaning duties and ensured everyone in the home had clean, presentable clothes to wear and good homemade meals to eat. She made do with what they had, budgeted, meal planned and took on the role of community organizer with other mothers and children. She was a pillar in her community and her home.

We Take Better Care of Our Children Than A Stranger Would

Part of the reason some women choose to stay home is because of the astronomical cost of day care. While finances are an issue to keep in mind, the biggest factor to consider is that mothers typically provide the most love, attention and care for their own children than a daycare worker would. Think about the simple fact that a daycare worker is probably making $9 per hour to tend to 20 children simultaneously. We feel a deep connection to the little humans that we helped create and we take our role as mothers very seriously! Also, many of us truly enjoy cooking (from scratch) with simple ingredients. We like knowing what is in our food, how to grow our food and how to make good homemade meals for our families!

We Want to Be Debt-Free

Despite what most young female adults are told, racking up tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt is not a positive or productive thing to do for your marriage or future family. Plus, less women in the workforce means wages aren’t driven down and more men can feasibly have their wife stay home. Financial debt and barely making ends meet is one of the top reasons for marital strain. There are so many women who went to college, got a degree and were miserable in the workforce. Which leads to the next point…

Happiness

There isn’t a ton of research on this non-politically correct point, but there is definitely merit to it. Ask any homemaker that has built a solid support network if she is happy staying home and you will almost always hear yes. Women are generally fulfilled by “making their house a home”, decorating, planning, organizing, caring for our home and children and socializing with other women doing the same. We are emotional creatures, with different strengths than men. We are nurturers that, when given the opportunity, excel in this department. Not all women, but most, that have truly embraced their role in the home and to the family are happy and fulfilled.

God ordained it

Last and certainly not least, it is mentioned several times in the Bible for women to be good keepers of the home, to be their husband’s helpmeet and to care for their children in the home. Many of us want to live Godly lives and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.Genesis 2:18 KJV (women are to be helpers to their husbands) 18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help †meet for him. Titus 2:4-5 KJV (women are to love and care for their husbands, children and home)4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.Proverbs 14:1 (women are to build their homes up) The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.Proverbs 31:27 (a Godly wife) watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.This wasn’t an exhaustive list, but you should have a better understanding of trad wives now! Trad wives generally want to live simple, but meaningful lives that are family focused and God centered. We draw upon the inspiration from times past and have learned from mistakes of our generation and don’t want to go down that road at the expense of our family. We have a calling to go “back to our roots” and to solidify the foundations that are being destroyed by the modern world!

[Originally published Sep 19, 2019]