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A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying and/or mending clothes for the family; buying, cooking, and storing food for the family; buying goods that the family needs for everyday life; partially or solely managing the family budget—and who is not employed outside the home (e.g., a career woman).[1] The male equivalent is the househusband.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household.[2] The British Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (1901) defines a housewife as "the mistress of a household; a female domestic manager [...]".[3]
In the Western world, stereotypical gender roles, particularly for women, were challenged by the feminist movement in the latter 20th century to allow some women to choose whether to be housewives or to have a career. (However financial barriers such as expensive childcare or disability can impede either). Changing economics also increased the prevalence of two-income households.
- ^ "Housewife". Macmillan Dictionary. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ "Definition of HOUSEWIFE". www.merriam-webster.com. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ Davidson, Thomas, ed. (1903). Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language. London: W. & R. Chambers. p. 443.