21 Reasons Young Women Are Embracing The "Tradwife" Phenomenon According To Gen Z'ers, And Honestly, Some Of These Are Spot On

We recently asked Gen Z women to share their thoughts on the viral "tradwife" phenomenon and why it's being embraced by many of their female peers, according to social justice research.

Their points of view on the "tradwife" phenomenon were wide-ranging; here's what they had to say:

1."Female born in 2003 here, and love that younger women are FINALLY advocating for traditionalism! Growing up, the only options I was ever told was that you MUST go to school, get a couple of degrees, and put yourself into a career, but it never resonated with me, and I always received hate from peers whenever I said I didn't want to do that."

"I have now wasted several years of my life pursuing an education that made me miserable until I found my boyfriend who has a stable enough career so I can stay home, do the cleaning, laundry, dishes, cooking, caring for the dog, etc. I am happier than ever and can't wait for this to continue into marriage and children. I wish I knew this was an acceptable choice sooner instead of having people demean it as a life choice."

—Anonymous

2."I think this tradwife phenomenon is rooted in a desire to get back to the 'good old days.' As Gen Z, we're now a couple of generations out of the big surge of women into the workforce. We're realizing that it's really hard to have a full-time career and be the wife and mom who has time in her day to cook from scratch, clean the house from top to bottom, and do all of those things."

"We watched our grandmothers and mothers struggle to do it all and be 'super mom,' and we saw the toll it took on them. I personally struggle with thinking about how I'm going to balance my career with being a mom if I have the large family I desire. And so I think for some Gen Z women, they feel like if they just went back to the '50s when all they had to do was take care of the kids and home and look pretty, life would be simpler and easier for them. That wasn't true then, and it isn't true now. So many of those women were financially trapped and controlled by their husbands. They couldn't even get a bank account if they wanted to. And that's not even mentioning women of color. There were no 'good old days,' and to think that is to buy into a false reality."

—Anonymous

3."I hate the 'tradwife' trend. I think it's the dumbest thing, honestly. I can see the merits of staying home with your children and having someone take care of you, but it also just feels like another way to take away my autonomy and infantilize me."

"I feel like to be a 'tradwife,' your whole life now revolves around your husband and your children, and I'm so much more than that. I personally don't think I could ever do it, and I just don't like the idea of it. There's just more to life than being a parent and a wife, and I want to experience it."

—Anonymous

4."Something about it is comforting, I guess. I used to be a very passionate workaholic journalist, but I saw so much despair and pain and loss, and it ruined me and my mental health. It was awful, and I have so much respect for people who can bear that pain and share it with the world. The 'tradwife' trend almost reminds me to slow down, take in the little things, and get back to stuff I enjoy, like cooking, baking, gardening, and children."

5."I'm a Gen Z girl, and I think it's important to acknowledge that 'tradwife' influencers are, when it comes down to it, influencers. So, I believe that their way of life is greatly exaggerated when they put it on social media."

"That being said, I think if someone wants to be a traditional wife, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that; I support all women in whatever field they wanna work in, and if that field is being a traditional wife, homemaker, and mother, more power to them!"

—FutureOscars.19

6."'Tradwife' seems to be a swing in the opposite direction of 'Girl Boss.' I think the pandemic forced most people to slow down and see the genuine benefits of slower living and prioritizing your home over work."

"That itself isn't a bad thing. However, blindly following the aesthetic and lifestyle without intentional and critical thinking about the world outside the home is crucial to avoid closing yourself off and making yourself susceptible to conservative rhetoric."

—Anonymous

7."As the oldest of Gen Z (1998), my thoughts on the 'tradwife' movement are that we younger women are looking around at this system that expects us to not only work and pay taxes but also develop strong tendencies that aren't natural to us, and simply saying, 'No, enough is enough; I'm tired of being told I need to be everything to everyone.'"

"In my opinion, we're tearing down the toxic idea that women are supreme beings. We have very different skill sets than men, and we're ready to embrace them; as opposed to becoming jealous of men making a lot of money and having influence, we have come to realize that we have influence over our men by being the best wives we can be. We want the old ways back. It worked for thousands of years, and then the hippies messed it up for all of us. The worst part is we're enduring the consequences of the former generations of women's lust for power."

—Anonymous

8."I mean, to me, it feels like women trying to regress back into the days of no rights when we're finally starting to make strides."

"I just don't really understand this trend because we've always been saying, 'Well, thank god we can make choices about careers, homeowning, etc., now,' but then women are all over this 'tradwife' trend. It just doesn't make sense to me."

—Anonymous

9."My sister almost went down the traditional wife route where she would be a stay-at-home mom and homeschool her kids while her husband worked. Guess what? He ended up being super abusive and controlling. Now she has to work two jobs and is still struggling, has two kids, and one is autistic and needs so many extra resources, and he refuses to pay child support. This life is not, 'Oh, wear a pretty dress and bake bread.' It's, 'I need to budget carefully because only my husband is working, I have five kids to feed, and money is getting tight.'"

"It's, 'My husband is mad that I don't look like my pre-pregnancy body and is now divorcing me, and I have no job history or education; I have no money of my own and can't afford a lawyer either.' They never think anything bad will ever happen to them because they're submitting to their husbands, so they should be safe. But participating in this lifestyle will not give you an equal spot at the table; it's you being complacent and losing your rights tied up in a pretty bow."

—Anonymous

10."I'm of the opinion that the 'tradwife' trend is the women's equivalent of Andrew Tate and Joe Rogan. Not only is it sending harmful and misogynistic messages about gender roles to young girls, but it's disingenuous."

"These are women who claim they are solely homemakers and that ambition should be left to men when, in reality, they probably make more money through their social media careers than their husbands. Women have never only been homemakers, not even in the 'good old days' that tradwives are trying so hard to emulate. Do we really want to go back to when marital abuse and rape were legal and normalized, and women couldn't independently open a bank account or credit card? You can bake bread in a cottagecore outfit without touting the virtues of 'traditional' values and telling women they are only as good as what they can provide for a husband."

—Anonymous

11."I'm 22 years old, and I have a degree in journalism. A large part of me, like 90%, wants to be a journalist. But I can't deny that the traditional life looks appealing to me."

12."I think there's nothing wrong with staying home with your children for a bit or making sourdough bread from scratch, but romanticizing this life is harmful for a lot of viewers, especially the younger ones."

"Women do a lot more unpaid labor in general; this 'tradwife' phenomenon might make way for a radicalized way of thinking and normalizing the unequal distribution of work between couples, saying that 'this is what women want and what they're supposed to be doing.' Having a separate income from one's husband is crucial if problems with domestic violence should arise; even without violence, the income is necessary if the woman should find the need for a divorce. People who become a 'tradwife' without thinking things through can soon find themselves in a position that is hard to leave."

—Anonymous

13."The 'tradwife' phenomenon is proof that we're regressing as a society. In elementary school, I remember learning about female astronauts and doctors. I felt like the sky was the limit."

"Now I'm in my early 20s, being told I'll never be able to buy a house, and the only things I can do is be a wife and a mother. There is nothing wrong with being a homemaker, but that's not my dream."

—Anonymous

14."'Tradwife' content is patently hypocritical because these women are selling how nice being a stay-at-home mom and wife dependent on their husbands are while often making money off of it, which goes against what being a 'tradwife' is."

"These women are entrepreneurs selling a lifestyle they aren't 100% living, which is good for them; if they can make money, that's great, but they should be transparent about it; otherwise, they're being dishonest."

—Anonymous

15."I personally love the 'tradwife' trend. When I was younger, I felt SO much pressure to go out and be a girl boss. It felt like my dreams of being a stay-at-home mom would ostracize me, as I had friends who got MAD at me for not being a feminist girl boss."

"I feel like maybe, one day, I can raise my kids how I want to, to always be there and be the best mother I can be. Of course, some are using it for views, but I love that this is being normalized."

—Anonymous

16."I think it's great to see women doing what they want to do. If that's what they want to do, great. It becomes concerning when they are shaming other women in the comments for wanting to do anything else."

"I personally want to be the breadwinner in my family, and my husband fully supports it. I will go into the comments of these videos and see women shaming others on both sides. If you want to be a tradwife, great, do it. If you want to be a stay-at-home mom, go for it. If you want to follow your passions and work, that is good for you! I also think the shaming is terrible because a lot of people cannot afford this lifestyle and have to be a two-income family."

—Anonymous

17."Gen Z woman here. Women who choose to get married or have long-term partners should be able to show up in those settings in whatever capacity works for them. However, I don't understand how anyone out there can financially afford to be a 'tradwife' or be married to one."

"I've been with my partner for six years, married for three, and we have always had between three and five jobs between the two of us just to make ends meet. Having the option to be a stay-at-home mom, dad, wife, or husband would be an incredible privilege. This lifestyle is not sustainable for most people in the current economy. Live and let live, but also check your privilege."

—Anonymous

18."I think it's great to see women who feel empowered in themselves and their familial role through social media. I have a problem with the 'tradwife' concept when it becomes boastful and snobby or idolizes the mainstream tradwife culture of the '50s and '60s."

19."I am a Gen Z woman, and I wanted to be a 'tradwife' just a few years ago. Obviously, I can't speak for everybody, but this desire came from a romanticization of the past and dissatisfaction with how women are treated in both work and education."

"I often see young women on social media complain about school/work, and many of these women also wish for tradwives to become the norm again. It reminds me so much of how I used to be. I now know that being a 'tradwife' is nothing like what is portrayed on social media, and I hope more women in my generation realize that sooner rather than later."

—ilovebenadryl

20."I believe that many of these women have simply found a new way to generate income on social media."

—bestshark737

And finally...

21."I think it is this generation's unique way of dating. Women are sick of men in this generation. A lot of dating starts on Snapchat and then has a 'talking stage' or 'situationship' that lasts three months or longer before the guy asks to be properly together. I think women are sick of how some guys do not give flowers or attempt anything romantic, which is why they are fantasizing about being a 'tradwife' with a husband who is a provider."

"They want to be appreciated and have one of those old Hollywood loves with grand gestures, but many guys in this generation don't do those things anymore, which is making women retaliate and fall into this traditional wife fantasy. I don't think being a homemaker or being a traditional wife is what these people want; it's just having a provider or someone who makes them feel secure and safe. Some; I'm not saying all men are like this, but I know a lot of Gen Z men tend to be like this."

—Anonymous

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Responses have been edited for length/clarity.