Tradwife

A Tradwife refers to a woman who fulfills a traditional gender role, and is based on two variations of the theme: #Tradwife-1 is based on equitable labor division and commensurate value of husband and wife, and #Tradwife-2 which is based on Western middle-class femininity of the mid twentieth century which values wives' security and comfort more highly than that of husbands, as symbolized in the 1950s housewife. TradWives represent a growing movement of women who promote ultra-traditional gender roles, advocating or demonstrating a return to traditional gender roles as a way to reverse the ill effects of feminism. These two models, argue the advocates of traditional gender roles, create a delicate but eminently workable balance that has stood the test of time.

Tradwife-1 (non-gynocentric)

Tradwife-1 mirrors a pre-industrial model consisting usually of non-gynocentric forms of traditionalism. It advocates a mixture of separate gender roles mixed with some role-sharing as might be seen on a traditional farm or homestead.

Tradwife-2 (gynocentric)

The #Tradwife-2 aligns more with the industrial-era model of family and is promoted by advocates of a traditional gynocentrism, in which the wife's needs or wants are generally prioritized over those of her husband. In this model, men and women are called to adhere to ‘gender roles’ with the husband functioning as superficial or symbolic 'head of household' who protects the wife and labors to earn all the money, while she makes babies, apple pies, and keeps the house clean. The model of the #Tradwife-2 is what many people refer to as the ‘two-spheres doctrine’ in which men and women are apportioned sovereignty over different realms – he over the political and social realm, and she over the domestic realm.

Examples

- 2018 June 1, Annie Kelly, “The Housewives of White Supremacy”, in: Ms. Jorgenson is being interviewed on Radio 3Fourteen, a white supremacist talk radio program; it is interviewing her because she considers herself a tradwife.

- 2019, Dana Killion, Lies of Men: Blond and blue-eyed, just like the #tradwife ideal, but her eyes held a fierceness that overshadowed her fame.

- 2019, William F. Pinar, What Is Curriculum Theory?: He notes that many “white supremacists call for 'tradwives'—traditional wives—to produce more white children” (ibid.), an association between misogyny and racism.

- 2019, Lucy Ellmann, Ducks, Newburyport, page 214: I hate her, hate groups, incel, tradwives, the fact that I don't usually hate anybody, ...

- 2019, October 22, “'I want to submit to my husband like a 50s housewife': inside the controversial UK tradwife movement”, in Stylist Magazine: The tradwife movement is one of the most concerning trends to have emerged in the past few years, with more and more women looking to switch their careers and independence for tending to hearth and home - and every will of their husbands.

- 2020, January 19, Peter Wright, "The fantasy of a return to the ‘good old days’ when men were masculine and chivalrous, and women were feminine and ladylike, has run strong through the manosphere and beyond, whether promoted by Anthony “Dream” Johnson and his traditionalism-promoting convention, or women like Suzanne Venker who specialize in promoting traditional roles for women."

The four relationship models

Below are the four relationship models alluded to in Peter Wright's introductory article:

See Also

• Modwife
• Gynowife