What is a housewife?

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   StacieFaceposted 12 years ago

   In less than two weeks I will be titled "House Wife." What exactly does that mean and what are my responsibilites???
   Is it the obvious; clean the house, make dinner, and tend to my husband? If these are the responsibilities how often do they need to be done, twice a week?
   I have always found this to be an interesting topic because there are so many different views on the title housewife as we have seen from the all to familiar reality shows.
   What are your thoughts?

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      Muldaniaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't know where the term is still used.  It seems very 1950s.  As even the words wife and husband seem to be disappearing, to be replaced by "partner"

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   2. 60

      lizzieBooposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Housewife means that you have creative freedom over your house. Think of it as the blank canvas upon which you will  express yourself. Make it your favorite place to be.  Fill it with beauty, colour and books. Learn how to cook like a gourmet chef. Change the house around whenever the whim takes you. Have people over to watch a film and drink some wine. Set up a book club, a knitting club, a desperate housewives club. Take up a competitive sport. Learn a language. Learn to make clothes. Read Dickens major novels. Have lunch with a friend once a week. Take up aqua- areobics and Zumba classes. Do yoga. Learn Thai massage and practice on your husband when he comes home. Join a choir. Go on a date with your husband at least once a week. Get fit now before babies come along. Read up on politics so you can be ready to pillory your local council when the kiddies are school age. Always eat at least one meal a day with your husband.  Put aside time to do nothing. Don't get hung up on planning your life. Fill it with music and laughter.
      Also, good humor and kindness will get you through any amount of stress.
      Think of yourself and Mr as the beginning of a new empire. What are you going to make of it?
      Oh, and fit in some cleaning here and there, but not too much.

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         Muldaniaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         You forgot to mention holding the odd Tupperware party.

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            cobrienposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I think its Amway parties these days.

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         2. 59

            cobrienposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I think its Amway parties these days.

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      2. 59

         cobrienposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Very well said!

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         JamaGeneeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         lizzieBoo, what a delightful and informative hub you've almost written here! Bravo! Applause!

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      ArtzGirlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      When I was growing up in Texas there were 2 categories of women that were married.  One was the career woman who typically had a job outside the home and was pursuing a career along with her husband and children.  And the other category of women fell into the "Housewife" label.  These women were women who did not have a career outside the home.  They dedicated their entire lives to their house maintenance, care of husband, care of children, care of pets, etc... 
      
      At times, it seemed that these 2 categories of women were at odds with one another.
      
      My mother was a career woman.  She stepped into the role of taking over her family's family business which was started in 1933.  She constantly struggled with the role of having to "fit in" with all of the women who were non-career women.  And in the 1960's, she was one of the very few that had the type of position that she was in.  The majority of women in our small town had the choice to be a nurse, teacher, or owned a small business of sorts.
      
      She was lucky to have been in a position where she had a house-keeper and nanny, where she was able to pursue her role in a business outside the home.  However, she always tried to also schedule her time around being able to pick the kids up at school, run car pools to and from dance lessons with other Mom, she played the role of "home room mother", band parent, etc...
      
      Looking back on all of this-- I personally don't know how she did it all.
      There were so many demands on her, it would seem very difficult to pull all of this off in today's culture.
      Luckily, she was doing this in a fairly small town where we weren't driving half way across a major city to do extracurricular school activities.
      
      ----------
      
      I admire both roles of women.
      If you can stay at home and take on the role of housewife-- then do it with pride!
      If you enjoy pursing your career and work outside the home- then do that with pride!
      
      Whatever you do-- don't get caught in the position where you are wishing that you were playing out the other role of the path not taken.
      
      Live your life the way that you want to.
      No apologies!
      ; )

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         JamaGeneeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I don't know how your mother did all that, either! On the other hand, she had a housekeeper and a nanny, essentially women paid to do what she would've been doing if she hadn't had that career and stayed home instead. That's what creates the friction between non-career moms and those with a career that pays enough to employ household help. 
         
         The women your mom employed were getting paid to to what "just housewives" did (and some still do) without monetary compensation. Although the "just housewives" work as hard as (or harder than) a housekeeper or a nanny, tradition says they aren't entitled to a paycheck...that the satisfaction of taking care of the home in which their MRS degree entitles them to live, as well as the children they birth and the husband who supports them all, should be "pay" enough.

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   4. 73

      Eaglekiwiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      ..Clean house ,cook dinner ,tend to your husband 
      
      Where pray tell have you been until now? locked up til you reached marital status?

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      kimberlyslyricsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      seems the term housewife must be defined individually :

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2. 57

   StacieFaceposted 12 years ago

   lizzieBoo that was quite a list and I appreciate the insight. I just may follow that as a day to day guideline. And we definitely cannot forget the tupperware party and the avon/mary kay get togethers.
   But I can't help feel like there should be something else. Maybe I will create my own title, needs to be something clever. Too bad I'm not very creative.

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      lizzieBooposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Creative manageress.

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      JamaGeneeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      "Domestic engineer" has been used by stay-at-home women who detest the "just a" implication of "housewife".  Personally, I like "Director of Domestic Bliss".

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3. 57

   StacieFaceposted 12 years ago

   Manageress I like that!

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4. 75

   sofsposted 12 years ago

   Hey, I am one.. a choice I made eight years ago.. to throw up a fantastic job with an IT giant and live a life I love.. with my family.
   It means I am responsible for my home, my family, their happiness and health..
   I love it because I love my husband and my kids! It is very simple!

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5. 57

   christianajohanposted 12 years ago

   Housewife is not just in the house. I think housewife will be the good partner of a husband when it comes to almost any hardships in life. Kids and house chores are just examples.

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6. 60

   calpol25posted 12 years ago

   At one time here in britain a house wife was a slang term used for a sewing kit given to a person in the military, it may still be used I dont know 

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7. 66

   savanahlposted 12 years ago

   I've been a house wife for quite some time and I must say we live in a world where anything goes. You can define yourself and your role as you see fit. I think everyone here has some good advice but at the end of the day that role has to be defined by you and your partner. It's about creating a life that you love. Have fun in creating this new life.

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8. 61

   Disturbiaposted 12 years ago

   I always thought a housewife was someone who took care of their home, cooked, cleaned, took care of the kids, did the shopping, etc. but don't we all do that anyway even if we do have a job outside the home?  So does that make working women housewives with jobs.

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      cobrienposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think housewives do it better.

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      JamaGeneeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      "Housewife" (or "home-maker" as inkdrop pointed out) denotes a married woman who does not hold a paid job outside the home. By that definition, a mother employed full-time outside the home isn't a housewife, but rather a working woman with another full-time job to do when she gets home from her day job. That's always been the conundrum in "equal" rights for women.

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9. 52

   Inkdropposted 12 years ago

   house wives is not a good-word for the women who manages the daily chores, it should be home-maker, yes it is

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10. 68

    grinnin1posted 12 years ago

    I think what it has meant in the past is that you-woman- do everything except bring in the main paycheck. Now sometimes it means you- woman- bring in the main paycheck and still do everything else. I'm not sure. I just know I'm not a very good one. Cleaning, cooking, and misc. are not my strengths. The question should be, why isn't there a definition for househusband?

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       JamaGeneeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes! Exactly! As for a definition of "househusband", there doesn't seem to be one, but a "Mr. Mom" or a stay-at-home dad none the less enjoys far more respect and awe than a woman in the same role.  I find that quite odd, don't you?

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          Inkdropposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          yes i totally agree with you two.........What a joy to find someone else who thinks this way.

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11. 65

    iamageniusterposted 12 years ago

    Good discussion. Nowadays there are more and more housedads too.

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