September 21, 2009
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A Woman’s Place In the Home
Have you noticed that most women don’t say they want to be a homemaker? I read a post tonight that was titled “I want to be a perfect housewife.” Here is the link: Link
But for the most part, it appears most women are preparing to compete for a career. Or if they have a desire to stay at home, you don’t hear very many women saying it is their goal.
Guys: Do you want your wife to be a housewife?
Ladies: Do you have it as your goal to be a housewife?
Comments (183)
not really.
Yes.
But it doesn’t mean it’s realistic.
i’m in college, i’m going to graduate, get a job, get married, work, have babies!!, and be a housewife, i’m assuming.
i think we just plan on working before becoming housewives
Excuse me, househusband, thank you.
I’d have to say no. I’m in college, and after that I want a career and everything. You can’t plan your life on just getting married and that’s the end of it! I would find it hard to. Finding the right person to marry is never a sure thing anyway. But if I ever did get married, I don’t want to stay at home all the time, I’d have to have more to do outside of the home. I’m not knocking housewives, I just don’t want to be one.
i think it’d be cool if i was a housewife…hahahahahaahhahahahahaha
maybe i’ll do part time
most girls i know dont want to be a house wife, they just want to be a wife that gets to stay in the house being career free
hehe
I don’t want a wife period, much less a housewife. Hahaha.
I want to be a stay at home for awhile..until my child goes to school this way i don’t haveto send them to daycare. but i do have goals in life and it’s not to fold some dudes underwear.
I know I’d be a damn good housewife, but no. I want to work in a bakery, there are a few that are amazing around here and have been open for years. Or start my own
i plan to work before becoming a housewife. and after too probably.
It’s one of many goals. Honestly though, I’m a slob, I suck at housewifing.
Absolutely!
I’m not saying all women should do it, but, the one I marry should.
I would prefer to have a house husband.
I am an attorney. I had a skin treatment which caused me to stay home from work most of last week and there were some very nice elements to that. When I told my daughter that it was nice being home – the house was so tidy, the food was well planned and prepared on time, homework was done on time, etc. – she responded with, “Yeah but mom that was only one week. It would be so boring to do that every day of every week.” I think she’s right. I would get bored.
I never was. I went to college part time, worked full tiem and raised two boys as a single divorced full time Mother. Stay at home was never a choice. I am retired now and am only home as much as I am because I am full time caregiver for my husband, a disabled Nam Vet with parkinsons, heart disease and insulin dependent diabetic.
I dont even plan on gettin’ married so no.
I DONT CARE
My mom is a housewife as much as I appreciate her for it, I also see the disadvantages (in her case) of being one ie isolation, dependency on my dad, cut from the world, etc. My mom just isn’t as social as Marge Simpson.
Personally, I can be traditional but I have no knack for domestic duties.
Honestly, I’d love to be a housewife.
I wouldn’t want to be just a housewife, and I’d like it if my future husband didn’t settle for me to be one as well.
i set my goal as both not just 1 because these days you have to be able to do everything
@la_faerie_joyeuse - Well if you have lot’s of money and don’t mind an open relationship, and, if I can stay home and xanga and myspace all day in my underwear then maybe I will apply for the job. Haha lol
Yes. I can’t imagine anything better.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
My life goal is to be a house wife… I’m going to get my Masters in psychology, but my goal in life is to be a stay at home mom. In today’s society that may not be possible, but I can dream. I would want to have time to raise my children and volunteer at church and in the community.
@stixandstonz - Been there, done that, wore out all the T-shirts. Mine was a WWII vet, though, and I’ve been a widow for 12 years. It’s a different job market anymore, so I work at home. Because I did all the wifery, I don’t have to complain about the food, the laundry or the dust bunnies. It would be nice to have a guy to hold down the other side of the mattress, but if it doesn’t happen, I’m fine with the way things are.
I know first hand what your days are like but, “this too shall pass.” I wish you well.
I always wanted to be a domestic goddess…..I am good that the domestic goddess is harder to acheive
Once I have kids, I wouldn’t want anything else but to be a stay-at-home mom. c:
Yes. I have four kids, and I would never choose anything else. I have been a working mom, a single working mom, and a housewife, I love being a housewife best. I just hate it when working moms act like I am lazy or something is wrong with my choice to stay home!
I have tried it off and on. I hated it personally, I like to work, and wouldn’t want the most exciting thing to happen throughout my day to be going to the supermarket and almost seeing a brawl between the baker and a customer.
i have no plans on being a housewife. i like my career and i want to keep it. i don’t mind having children and having my husband help me raise the children together but i’m not going to stay at home and be a housewife.
I wouldn’t mind being a housewife if I was in a well off marriage. But if he expected it, that might irk me a bit.
I would love to be a housewife. I’m very old fashioned in my view of a woman’s relationship to a man and it just seems like the epitome of the celebration of what being a woman is all about- being a mother, a wife, and a integral part of the social community.
I for one have a problem deciding majors for college because I really can’t see myself doing anything other than being a wife and mother, and writing novels and poetry. Its driving my own mother nuts.
Fuck that, can’t imagine anything worse, except maybe being an accountant. There are so many things I’m interested in doing with my life and cooking/cleaning/raising kids are not included in that list…not at all.
@odiada - lol!!
I”ve done it on and off for seven years, and most of that time I was alone cause husband was on deployment. Now that we are talking about homeschooling I guess I’ll be even more firm into the “housewife” role and I’m okay with that. I don’t get why such a negative feeling has to be attached to that word or why we have to label what we do in order for others to understand. I couldn’t give two shits if anyone understood, honestly. It’s my life and has no affect on what anyone else does.
I’m one of the weirdos who thought it WOULD be a good idea to be a homemaker for awhile.
I admit I’m glad I’ve done it for this long, so that my son is being raised by his mother and not a daycare provider.
Buuuut, I’m so ready to go back to work!!!
My husband seems to prefer that I do stay home, but I honestly don’t think he has many problems with me working, either.
Taking care of my family and raising my children myself is my primary objective for this period of my life. But there were other phases first and my career was a priority then. I don’t intend for my husband to ever drop rank in my life’s priorities, but I think that I will take my career back up when my kids are older. For now, I am working part time to make the finances work.
To be honest (and probably politically incorrect), I think families, in general, would be far better off if more women did make home the priority.
@Momma_McCoy - I applaud you for rearing your son.
Maybe something part-time would be a win/win for everyone?
@spicycajun - I think it is the effort of militant feminism that has made that seem negative or demeaning. I will never forget when I heard the president of NOW say that educated women who did not enter and remain in the workforce were the greatest threat to America! Now that is extreme!
Females no longer wish to be confine within the household being conventional housewives because simply, we do not need to. In the past, we see many females staying home being your typical housewife because they are simply uneducated and couldn’t pull themselves out of the entire role. No more! I would rather be an independent career woman as opposed to a housewife.
@Momma_McCoy - You’re definitely not weird, you just have your priorities! And frankly, there’s no any individual who can do as good a job as a caretaker as the mom herself.
Eh. Not sure I’ve even met my future wife (if there is such a woman). I certainly don’t know what skill sets she’ll possess. If we had young kids, I’d want her to be at home with them; I wouldn’t want to leave them at a daycare. Once the kids were older, I’d gladly stay home with them. I’d also like the kids to be homeschooled if there wasn’t a really good school in the community. I don’t mind cooking or cleaning (to my own satisfaction).
I’d rather live in a kidless household, in which case we could muddle along however we wanted.
Guh, no. But I’d like to have a housewife.
Since I was little I have always wanted to be a housewife, and thats what I am today. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Honestly, I am pretty old fashion in that I believe women should be barefoot pregnant in the kitchen, however, I also believe its her choice. Its my choice, and thats what I do. Someday I will go back to school, not sure for what, maybe just to soak up all the knowledge I can since I really don’t want to do anything other than stay home and take care of my babies (husband included.)
I’m pursuing a career in journalism at the moment, but I would be more than happy to raise mine and my husbands children one day. I’m pretty maternal already.
I want to be a housewife but I also plan on working from home.
@frtnr_mama - I’ve never heard of that quote but I’m honestly not suprised. It sounds like something my sister would say. She was so school focused and career focused and now she’s 36 with 2 degrees and complains how miserable she is, but in the next breath tell you how much she hates kids. Her life is the definition of insanity: Keeps doing the same thing but expecting different results. She keeps up this image because she believes that is what is expected of her and heaven forbid if ANYONE proves her wrong, even herself. She’s gonna be that old lady that every neighborhood has that takes in all the stray cats.
I wanna be a housewife so bad, keep the house clean, do laundry, dishes, make supper and have it waiting when my hubby gets home. But with the economy right now I can’t. But hopefully someday we will be able to do that, my husband wants me to be able to be a housewife if I want to, but he’s also supportive of me if I want to work.
i actually do want to be a house wife. which tends to shock people b/c i’m a huge feminist. but feminism is about gender equality and doing what you want to do. and what i want to do is be a house wife. haha
Hopefully I’ll start a career, then be a working mom with enough money to hire a cleaning lady. ;]
my goal is to have it all, the house in order, happy kids, career going, and my hubby cooking
The only boyfriend who told me he wanted me to drop out of college and be his little housewife… is no longer my boyfriend. Answer enough?
Hopefully.
I honestly want to know why people are having kids if they just ship them off to daycare at age 18 months from 7am to 5pm for complete strangers to raise your kids in the most crucial years of their lives? Understandably sometimes it’s necessary like in the instance of divorce or death of a parent… but if you know ahead of time that this is what you’re going to do, how much is it going to KILL your career to stay at home with a kid for 5 years till they go off to school, or 3 kids for 10 years? whatever. Giving them play time at preschool for a couple hours a day a couple days a week to allow them to socialize is different then letting complete strangers raise your children 40-50 hours a week. So they look up to you on the weekends and maybe holidays? And after 6:00pm they’re so tired they’d rather throw fits then look up to in anyway.
I’m not a parent yet, but a good many of my friends are. My mom was a stay at home mom till I was 5 and my oldest brother was 9. For 9 months she had to go back to work to be able to retire on time as a school teacher/counselor. And they made my dad a stay at home dad. Yea he hated it. But he did it anyway…
I have to say that after my parents divorced when I was 5 and I became the worlds biggest “latchkey” kid. Coming home to empty houses at age ten because my mom worked over an hour away was hard. A lot of stuff goes on between the hours of 3-6pm after school.
I would make an *excellent* housewife. I grew up cooking and cleaning for five people. I’m good at it.
But I wouldn’t be respected by society if I chose to ignore my other talents and stay home.
I am one…but you really need to either have a hubby with a high paying job or scrimp. It is not easy to be a SAHM in these days.
I don’t plan to get married but in general it should be fine for a woman to want it or not mind it as long as the husband doesn’t assume she has to be.
Wife: I’ll be in the kitchen dear.
Husband: Where you SHOULD be
Wife: <_<
haha
haha I wanna be a stay-at-home mum, but not a housewife. I will get a cleaner to clean my house, a husband who is willing to cook (I wash the dishes), and I’ll look after my kids and do arts n crafts and their homework with them in the day time.
yeahh.
Not much of an efficient cooker or cleaner, you see.
@bundleoflisa - settle? my wife worked until we had 3 children and we could afford for her to stay home with them. one spouse home to raise the children while they’re young is challenging, hard work, but clearly best for the children while they’re young. her role is clearly as important as mine right now, if not more. she will probably return to the work force once all 3 kids are in school. what settling is there?
I hate cleaning, cooking, and children. So no.
I honestly love being a housewife, but it’s definitely not my long-term, permanent goal; not by a long shot.
What I really want is Whirled Peas……….and ya gotta have a housewife for that one!
I couldn’t just be a housewife…I intend to multi-task: housewife, mom, career—-
Wait…scratch that….
I can’t stand housework…I’m going to have a housekeeper….what I’m going to be is a wife(not housewife) mom, career lady…
I like it
Hmm. It pisses me off when men make statements like “women belong in the kitchen,” and such. I’m a feminist, but not an extremist feminist. Having said that, I enjoy some things that being a housewife would entail. I like making quilts, cross stitching, crocheting, and making things for the home. I like decorating. I hate cleaning, and I don’t like to cook. I like to bake. It’s a difficult answer. I guess I’d say I would prefer to be a housewife than work…at least at my current job.
I am in fact a housewife. Do i like it? No, not really, but it does have its advantages… I never miss a thing when it comes to my children. Thats honestly the only upside though… Im not even good at it! Lol I have two years of collage though – so i could do something else… I just chose not to because i dont want my baby in daycare.
As long as she’s not a desperate housewife.
Good site ~
I want to be a wife and a mom. [:
I’m in no rush, nooo rush at all, but I look forward to being a mom in a home of our own with my husband.
That’s all I really want.
I thoroughly enjoy taking care of a home and taking care of children. I like to organize things, I like charts, and I love to learn, especially with cooking.
Heck, I do that right now! Haha. I’m going to be world’s greatest mom one day, I swear, with all the practice I’m getting now. It’s going to be nothing new for me.
Good site ~
yep, and am one. I worked from home, too, until I had 2 babies. my husband is understanding that my job is 24/7, not just 8 hrs a day, and makes me go out and “socialize” as often as I want.
I’m pursuing a career because I think I love to learn, I love the direction and sense of purpose I have, and it’s more than necessary to do so and establish my independence.
That being said, my Mum was able to stay home with her kids for years, and I think she was incredibly lucky to have to have that. I’d be an excellent housewife, but I see it as being more of a luxury to be blessed with than as a goal. Perhaps I am wrong in that thinking.
I did it way back when…when i was first married. I was 19 when i got married, but i left him by the time i was 22. I was not allowed to work, or have any type of “career” outside of the home. He always told me that it was my job, the job of a wife to be a homemaker, a housewife and that taking care of my family was a tough job but to take pride in it. (but not too much pride because that was being boastful). I loathed being a housewife. I hated every minute of it. Why? because i didn’t have any choice (at the time i so thought). I didn’t think it was fair to give up my life goals, dreams, etc. to be a boring old housewife. But as time goes on, and the stresses of getting up at 330 every morning, taking care of a house, a family, bills, etc, weighs on my shoulders day in and day out, I wish i had the opportunity to be just a housewife. My home is in a constant state of clutter, I lose track of things, like appointments, shoes, money. I barely have enough time to throw dinner together. Trying to have some semblance of order in my home is like trying to drive your car, tie your shoes with your eyes closed going 70 MPh around a sharp corner. it just doesn’t work. I think, that if you’ve had the opportunity to work in the BIG world first, you might have a little bit more of appreciation of being a housewife / homemaker. To me, it’s probably one of the most rewarding jobs anyone – male or female - could ever have. If i had the opporunity to do it again, i’d snatch it up in a heartbeat. But this time, i wouldn’t give up my dreams. I would find a way to make it work. (my dreams are being able to focus on my art a little more, being able to teach it to children, do art shows, etc). I think our children might appreciate thier parents a bit more if more parents actually stayed home instead of worked. We might be able to teach them more respect, more love, and more of the basics. do you know how many kids out there just don’t know how to even run a load of laundry because those busy parents are so busy that they don’t have time to teach (or the patience), them how to? they just do it themselves!! burns my butt….
um I wouldn’t say being a housewife is my goal in life. I think I have the best of both worlds. I only work 2 nights a week, and only have one kid to take care of.. So I have the social aspect of having a job.. I’m not isolated as I have plenty of friends from work. But also I don’t have to go to work every day. I guess if you are a fucking old fashioned housewife who gets up and cooks and cleans all day, no that would be no fun at all. But me, my typical day consists of sleep till 9:30, get up, eat breakfast with Gianni, play in the pool with him, go to the mall and push him around in the stroller while I shop, I might do about 2 chores a day such as load the dishwasher or take out the trash, but mostly just play with Gianni. I only vaccuum and stuff like once or twice a month. And dinner is easy just make some mac n cheese and add frozen brocoli or something to it. And my son goes to bed around 10, so a lot of nights I’ll have a few friends over around that time for our adult fun once he’s in bed. I don’t think staying home 5 days a week is as sucky as it may seem. Especially considering my husband lets me spend his paychecks however I want for the most part. Oh wait, there was the time last week where I wanted three $80.00 hoodies and he told me I had to pick just two of them.
not really. I’m not sure I want the kids & marriage thing…. I’ll let you know when I decided if I want those things, then if I want to be a housewife! lol
Actually…I think being a housewife would be quite entertaining like the ladies on Desperate Housewives (maybe thats just tv) but I think I’ll do that whole thing once I retire??
I really want to be a house wife and I’m stuck with a career in nursing…
I would like to be a stay at home mom. That’s all I ever wanted to do. Unfortunately, circumstances didn’t allow that so now I must be a full time working mom.
I want my wife to be happy in whatever she does.
My husband and I agreed before we married, that I would stay at home. That was what I had always wanted and what he had always looked for in a wife.
Before we had children, I stayed and took care of the house and that is what I truly wanted to do – I just wanted to take care of the man who took such great care of me. Now we have two children and there is nowhere else I would rather be than home, for even more reasons. It is very fulfilling to have a clean house, happy children, and supper in the oven when my husband comes home. It’s wonderful to spend the day with my babies – they are so little and they grow so quickly, and I don’t want to miss it.
I am not isolated or lonely – I have many friends around me and social functions going on all the time. A lot of my closest friends are also home makers, so our schedules are less limiting, which is nice. As for being dependent – isn’t that what marriage is? Each depending on the other? I could support myself if something happened to him if that is the concern, but as long as he is living I don’t want to be completely independent.
As if there wasn’t enough motivation without it, there’s always scripture to back it up:
Titus 2:3-5
3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 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.
I don’t care if it’s understood by the world – it is God’s plan and my family is happier for it.
Yes, being a keeper at home always has been, continues to be, and always will be my goal.
I would love to one day be a housewife, but that would require me to have a man that made 6+ digits so we could afford for me to stay at home.
Being a homemaker is more demanding than working at a desk job. I worked various desk jobs over 10 years. I’ve been a homemaker for 8 years. I would rather be a homemaker than be at a boring desk job day in and day out. It’s not for everyone though. There are sacrifices sure,but it’s worth it.
Being a mom and takingcare of a home is a tough job. Studies have shown that if you had to pay someone to do everything a housewife does it would cost you about $60,000 a year.
That being said, no way do I want to just be a housewife. No disrespect to people who do, but it’s the same reason I don’t want to be a mechanic or a construction worker. I want to use my brain to change the world and make a difference, not to try to figure out why my infant is screaming for the thousandth time today and how to make her stop while chasing down my other kids and making dinner all at the same time. That’s hard, but for me that would not be rewarding day in and day out if I’m not doing anything else with my life.
I figure I’ll stay at home when I retire
I really appreciate that you used the term housewife. It’s a term that is so frequently thrown out nowadays and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be one. From the time I was young I knew I wanted to be one. I always planned to have kids young; I hope to be done by 30. I knew if I wanted to stay home in the early years of marriage that electing to have 40-80K in student loans would seriously hinder that, so I opted to work instead of going to college out of high school.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t smart enough to go to college, it was that my goal was to be a housewife. I believe that it’s a great thing to be able to take care of my husband and kids. My husband doesn’t demand it and maybe things would be different if he did. Plus, lets be honest the happier those around you are the happier the overall tone in the home tends to be which makes me happier. I would much rather be putting my efforts into my family who love me and care about me than slaving for a corporation who couldn’t give two craps about me.
It’s also great to see my kids grow up, be able to correct their behaviors as I see fit. I have time to potty train and teach them. We volunteer in the community and are able to help out our friends and neighbors without being worn out. I won’t say my life is slow paced, but I try to keep it reasonable. If we are getting stressed or too busy, we cut something out. So far I’ve been able to do everything I want to do in a week, without being burnt out. If I was working, I could not do it.
Nope. Especially since I don’t want kids.
I love being a housewife with a little “job” on the side, yeah. Can’t always stay home.
I don’t know if it’s exactly a “goal” but it would certainly be nice, especially when I get around to getting married and having children.
I am a housewife and have been for most of my adult life. I do have dreams of going to law school, but those dreams were put on hold following Emily’s diagnosis. I have no problem spending the rest of my life being a housewife and advocate for my daughter.
Actually, yes I would love to be a house wife and home maker. The only reason that I’m working is because in our society now, it’s unrealistic to try and get by on one income and support a family. It’s quite depressing times we’ve come to live in.
@Kriss10P - This is exactly what I want to be doing.
i would want to be a good wife in general, but my goal is not to be a house wife.
maybe when i have kids and cant work for a little..
I consider it a luxury to be a housewife… more like a blessing than a goal. I would love to be able to be a housewife, but unfortunately that’s not a reasonable goal for modern women anymore because so many households need two incomes to survive. Women need to be able to provide for themselves to prepare for the 50% possibility that they will find themselves divorced. If my household can survive and thrive on one income, and the husband can be trusted to stay around for life and not change me for a new model or leave when things get difficult, then being a housewife could actually be a main goal.
But what’s YOUR take on it?
Why don’t you actually SAY something, instead of just posting a link and a pic, and asking for opinions?
if we didn’t need the extra money from my job, I’d love to be a housewife.
i’d call it a stay at home mom though.
I feel as though this link is appropriate
http://www.collegehumor.com/picture:1916670
That being said, I would like my future wife to be a homemaker (when the kids come along, that is). However, I also think it’s important that if a guy wants a house-wife, and the wife agrees, the he work a gratuitous amount in order to provide a reasonable, comfortable life for the family. If he is unable to do that, then he shouldn’t just expect such a life style.
I did. I worked for almost 10 years before I could finally stay at home with the kids to home-school them and be the “housewife.” I loved that time with them. Then everything went to “hell in a hand-basket” and I am back to working again. I strongly suggest to moms, or dads, to give it a serious try. Your family will benefit from the time given.
I’d love to be a housewife (with a professional writing career on the side).
Peace.
I am domestic but still interested in self-actualization.
The suggestion that one who wants to be a housewife can’t also do something else with her life, is to obfuscate domesticity and submissiveness unfairly.
Yes.
As a female, I want to be a house wife. I think it would be cool to be able to be there with the kids, make dinner and just be there for everyone. Now, I dont want to be a soccer mom but it wouldnt really bother me unless I HAD to stay outside and watch them rather then sleeping in the car or even going out and getting something done.
Actually, I’ve wanted to be a housewife for a while. I would rather live with the kids and stuff then go to work and deal with crap from that.
Meh, Im not sure.
For 10 good years, my wife was able to stay home and raise our kids. Now that they’re out of the house, we’ve discovered that it costs even more! So she felt she had to go back into the workforce to accomplish some of the things we want to do financially. She would like to a housewife again and she will as soon as we can afford it. We’re fine the way we are now, but we both prefer it when she is a fulltime homemaker.
Good question!
Being a housewife sucks!
And I’m not even married.
I wish I could be a housewife sometimes, honestly. I’d never be able to do it, and for the most part, I don’t think I’d want to, but it does have a certain appeal. Wake up, get the kids off to school, go back to sleep, lay around reading for a little while. Clean the house a little bit, maybe. Get the kids back from school and hang out with them. Maybe run errands a couple days a week or something. Yeah, I’d be alright with it, I’m not a feminazi.
Realistically, though, by the time I graduate with my doctorate, I will have so much student loan debt that I’ll likely never even have the option of being a stay-at-home. Plus, pleasant as it sounds, I’d probably lose my mind with boredom after two weeks or so.
I would love to be a house wife stay home and watch the home front cook clean and take care of children the only problem with doing that today that the men of the world have kind of taken a back seat when it comes to relationships bc more and more women want to actually do something with their lives. So the women that do want to be stay at home moms are having a harder time finding hard working men who have more dreams than beating the new XBOX 360 game or playing world of war craft until 3am and are happy with their mediocre part time jobs and minimum wage. Its hard to be a housewife when you have a man child. Ya know?
No. I am right now, but that’s only until I can find work.
@rrozz - That’s great, but that is only for a moment in time. I understand that it is hard to raise a family when both parents are juggling work life and home life, but as you said, she may return to the work force when they’re grown. It is an innate responsibility that not everyone can fulfill or do well, but it’s only a part of life, not everything. That’s why I’d imagine it’s like settling.
I want my wife to be whatever it is that she wants to be, and I want her to have the drive and passion to see it through.
hahah i wanna be like my mummy… she is awesome she works and care for all of us!
I don’t mind picking up the slack with the traditional duties of a wife and mom, but it wouldn’t be something I’d do all the time. I hope to share the roles, however I won’t be crazy feminist and totally not do traditional roles either.
I would like to stay home from work when I have kids for awhile. I don’t want to ship my kids off to a daycare. I think kids need to be raised by parents or grandparents. That’s one of the reason I want to stay near my parents so they can care for my kids as well. my grandparents helped raise me for a few years when my mom had to go back to work. I see no problem with that.
100% yes. But I don’t really have the option to stay home. Before and during college, I never would have said yes, so answers from college-and-younger people don’t really count
This one is pretty weak. Obviously, one should want his wife to do whatever makes her happy.
i wanna be a part-time housewife, lol
I’d be a housewife, but I don’t see that happening. I’d much rather be financially stable and not live paycheck to paycheck than be a housewife.
I enjoy being a housewife… for now. I cannot imagine doing it my entire life. I did have a career before I settled down and had kids, and I plan to go back to that once both kids are in school full time (so 3 years from now). I thought that I would enjoy being a housewife way more than I do. I don’t regret at all being there for my kids every second of the day, but man, I do wish I had a maid…. I’m a good cook, good wife, and a good mom, but um, the cleaning leaves something to be desired sometimes.
@StephSteele - I can so relate to this . My husband was like this for the first two years of our marriage. He’s much better now.
That’s what I always wanted, although I would deffinately be happy to work if it were necessary. But recently Im starting to lean more towards not getting married at all.
@crazy2love - i agree, a woman does not belong in the kitchen…. that’s my domain.
pretending for a moment that i was actually going to get married, im not so sure, “housewife” is the proper label i would want for my wife. would i want her to be an employee, no. no i would not, i would want to be able to provide for us so that it was not necessary. would i want her to be locked in the house all day? again, no.
i think the perfect balance would be if i was able to entrepeneurize,(and her do the same if she so desired) doing jobs for ourselves that had flexible enough schedules for us to be together when we so chose(preferably near constant, while acknowledging the individual need for “alone time”)
i think that it would be nice if the housework were divided. i get to do most of the cooking, but if she can cook something i like then we can share that i guess. laundry is to be done together. she can have the light cleaning(sweeping, dusting, etc. ) and the heavy cleaning will be shared, but i will try to do most of it.
she would keep the books and report to me. (IMPORTANT: this is not a control issue, but an information issue, if she is the one keeping the books and God forbid dies in a car accident or something, i would be comepletely screwed if i didn’t know what was going on.) decisions regarding money and investments would be shared though as book keeper she would obviously have more say-so since she would be more familiar with the expenses and whatnot.(yes, i would rather her issue me an “allowance” for my toys than to deal with the minutia of household finances. i get bored so easliy with that crap)
ooh ooh, shopping would be done together too. like grocery shopping and what not, and weekly or bi weekly for fun shopping trips. also we would travel to other places and experience other cultures together. i’ve always envied people who have been to multiple continents by the age of 25 and experienced several cultures learning many languages and traditions and eating all that yummy food.
Those were great days when most women were housewives and homemakers. I remember coming home from school and Mom always being there with a snack ready and a nice meal at dinner time. However I think it is like Humpty Dumpty…… can never be put back together again. Life moves forward not backward.
Yes, my goal is to be a housewife and homeschool my kids, if I have any, which I hope I do.
I also have other goals, like my future husband and I not having to go into debt to buy a house. And I’ll probably be working instead of going to college, so I can earn money instead of spending it.
If I didn’t want to be a stay at home wife/mom I would want to be an attorney. I’ve done policy debate for a while, so I’d love to earn money arguing for someone and helping them, but that also takes a lot of school.
yes, it has always been my goal. and i am a housewife. i could use a little bit of work though when it comes to laundry.
I am a housewife. I never thought I would be, but I am very happy with this position. I remember before I stopped working full time after the first baby was born. I would get up at 6am, wake up baby, feed baby, dress baby, then try and get ready myself. Drop baby off to daycare, go to work, work my arse off all day just to prove I was half as good as the men there. After work, pick up baby, go home, prepare dinner, feed baby, clean baby, play, wash and put baby to bed. WHEW!!!! But wait, the day isn’t over yet. Then there was getting the kitchen cleaned, the next days lunch and diaper bag prepared, tidy up of the house. By the time this was all done, the little one was awake for an other feeding. I was lucky to see my bed before 1am. I was a single mom at the time.
Now that I have a husband, he works, and I take care of the household duties. Wow!!! What a difference in my energy level. I have a year old that I’m with all day and I am loving the whole house wife thing.
I think women did a disservice to themselves by wanting to work outside of the house. We have created a bigger job for ourselves, we work outside of the house and then come home to household duties. The few women who are blessed to have a man who helps out after they both come home from work, are lucky. We have found a wonderful split, he works and makes the money, also does the outside work. I take care of the kids and the house. Sure works for me!!
nahh i wanna work. i’d get bored after a while.
Hell no.
I am a homemaker, but I also work 2 days a week from about 8-3 therefore, I’m not a housewife. Even on the days, I work, I come home and my duties as a housewife are not put on hold. I go to work, pick up the baby from the baby sitters, cook dinner, feed the baby, clean the kitchen, bath the baby, read to the baby, brush baby’s teeth, put baby to bed, pick up, vacume, & sweep. On the days that I do not work, I wake up early, do laundry, dust, clean bathrooms, and run errands to the things that I do on the days I work. So, yes, on the days that I work, I do less housework, but that doesn’t mean that I am not a homemaker.
I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I find great pride in keeping a clean home and a good schedule for the baby and I personally cannot function with a dirty home and unorganized household the same way.
My husband and I entertain the fact that once he’s out of residency, I could be a housewife, BUT, I do have a professional license (I’m a Nurse Practitioner) and I do not want to let too much time go before my license lapses because my husband and I have witnessed first hand what happens when the breadwinner of the family gets sick and can no longer work. My father in law was a pharmacist but he is also a type 1 diabetic and lost his eye sight and his legs and had to retire at the age of 29 when he went blind. My mother in law had to go back to school and she picked nursing as a career. I would want to keep my license active should anything ever happen to my husband-God forbid.
And yes, I am Christian and I think it is in God’s plan for women to take care of the household. Proverbs 31 is just one out of many many examples. I always find that my life is most happy when it correlates with the Word and when I honor my husband. One way of honoring him is to make the house a place where he wants to come home after a long day of work. So, yes, to answer your question: it is my goal to be a homemaker. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be a stay at home mom or a housewife.
I think the goal of being a housewife is a very low one. I mean, yeah, it’s a tough job, but like… you don’t have to really do much to achieve it, except get married. And also I don’t like that people are okay with making goals that rely on the existence or actions of another person. Can’t be a housewife without a husband, so why not set up some other goals for you and you only in the meantime?
Personally, no, I would never be happy being a housewife. Not that I’m likely to get married in the first place, but I would definitely have to work. Especially with me not wanting to have kids, being a housewife would leave me way too much downtime.
I like being a stay at home mom / housewife
but we need the money and I don’t know. I know I should have a career or the option of a career for myself.
but does it really matter with the world ending in 2012?
lmao
I’m going to school for culinary arts and its one of my biggest passions but i could give that up to be at home with my children (if i have any!). Once they dont need me at home though, i’d go back to cooking. I never saw my parents when i was young because of their careers though my mom did find time to read to me for an hour a day, every day, i still felt like i was missing something. So being a house wife, it would be nice, you know? Itd create a strong bond with my kids and it would be more of a home than a house, you know?
No, that would be lame.
Do I want my wife to be a homemaker? Certainly, cuz that’s the way God designed it. However, before the kids come, I’d be perfectly fine with her having a job, as long as other important things didn’t get thrown by the wayside because of it.
Of course! Before and after work is plenty of time to cook and clean.
I can see the appeal.
HAHA! i dont want to be a stay at home wife but me any my husband would be glad to have one. i recently was off work for 6 weeks due to an injury, now we dont have any children, but there is only so much you can clean before everything is spotless… i was going stir crazy
I admit that when I get married I hope to be able to take care of my man in a lot of the traditional ways. This includes cleaning, cooking, and multi-tasking.
However.
I expect that he does the same for me. I bring your slippers, you bring mine. A relationship has to be balanced and where I’m comfortable cooking dinner and cleaning and being all domestic I refuse to let all responsibility stay with me.
if i were 10 years younger and a good man came along i’d love nothing more than to be a stay at home mom…
I dont think I want to be married ever.
i want to have my own career and be self sufficient.
husbands are nice though.
I do want to be a housewife. But I also want to have a job before then.
It’s what my mom did, and I like the thought of having to see the best, and worst, of both sides.
Nope. I want to be a mangaka.
When I have kids one day I plan to stay home, or have my future husband stay home, to raise them for the first few years. My mom stayed home with us and I was really thankful for that. Unfortunately I also did watch how bored she was at times and how thrilled she was to go back to school and have achievements of her own. After starting a family I want to go back to work. If I have to just work part-time to balance things out I will.
Recently, my grandmother said to me: “Now you are a real teacher and you graduated college, you should consider setteling down. Find a man, make some babies, learn how to cook.” When I told her that I wanted to keep teaching and wait until I found the right man to have babies with, she looked at me with those big, sad Italian eyes and said, “This is what I hate about modern women.”
I was raised by a working mother, and I never, ever resented her for it. I appreciated my time in daycare and I love teaching children that start school with a daycare/pre-school background because it is a time to learn how to cooperate and make relationships with people outside of the family. And while you can make playdates and take your child to the park, they really do benefit from having large blocks of time learning with others their age and from other backgrounds.
Personally, I love both my career and my maternal insticts. I would love to continue teaching part time and stay at home while my children grew up. But I just could never see myself doing the whole homemaker thing by myself for the rest of my life. Hell, I cant take care of myself half of the time.
No I wanna be a Dentist. But I wanna be a good mum and housewife, so if my career is gonna get in the way of raising good kids, then I’ll drop it until I feel I can re-take it on. Children are more important.
I definitely would not want to be a housewife.
I want to juggle between a career, my husband and kids very succesfully. 
Some might say it’s not realistic, but I will definitely try, and anyway it isn’t any less realistical than thinking you’ll be able to be well-off if only one of the adults is working.
No, that is definitely not my goal in life.
a career is important to me but my family values are stronger. fortunately for me a teacher has awesome benefits that will let me be a mom
it all works out.
~GiGi
I’m half and half.
I would love to take care of a beautiful home, have beautiful kids in a neighborhood where my family is the envy and have the perfect family making perfect dinners every night for my perfect husband.
I also would love to have a career in counseling psychology. Helping people talk out their problems and helping them finding solutions with things in their life is a passion of mine.
I’ve concluded to make a compromise: Work out of my home.
Yes and no.
@fatcatUS - That’s what I want! Marry someone with a loooot of money so I don’t have to have a job. Just work in the garden, do some cooking and play with the children (before sending them off to their nanny to be put to bed). Then maybe meeting some friends for coffee and planning my yearly trip to Europe before coming home and thinking up more ways to spend my husbands money.
Except not really. But it is an occasional dream when my uni work load gets a bit too much
“Maybe I should just drop out and become a house wife…a really well off one…”
No, I hope to be successful in the field of biomedical engineering, but the career will change once, if not three more times, again before I graduate.
I plan to have a career one day. I feel useless being at home taking care of the house all day, even if it’s only a few days. I wouldn’t enjoy it but I think I’d stay home for a year after giving birth to a child. After three nannies, I wouldn’t want my infant in the care of anyone but me. (or my future husband I guess)
I’d want to be a housewife, especially if I had children.
I’ve completed my master’s degree, have held jobs as an educator, and now I’m a housewife. I’d never, ever consider myself a perfect one but it is one I strive for. I enjoy it and make time for all my friends and outside needs. I love it.
Well, in this economy, it’s nearly impossible for only one person to work… XP but if I got married and my husband wanted me to stay home and eared enough money that we never had to worry about money, then I could be a house wife. But I doubt that will happen so i plan on relying on me, myself, and I…
I’d become a housewife as long as there was enough money coming in.
And just for some extra money…I’d start a business from home. Selling Avon or Mary Kay. Something like that.
Yes i wanna be a housewife…I’ve got mad housewife skills!!!
It’s one of my goals..
but with the economy not even my boyfriends would approve.
o.O
I’m married to a person, not a house.
@spicycajun - That’s really sad. I think everyone craves the security of their own family…even if they don’t want to admit it.
Well, I got a liberal arts degree in college and I plan to marry rich!
I can wash dishes, sweep the floors, and mow the lawn.
I’m all yours Oprah.
My plan has always been to be a housewife. I never had a problem with admitting that’s what I wanted to do. Now I am a house wife, and my husband is very happy with it.
@squeakysoul - I found this heartening new statistic… http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2009-09-21-marriage-gay_N.htm but I still think being a housewife is more of a blessing than a realistic goal for me…
This just isn’t the norm anymore. Women are expected to go to work, and we are excited about not being completely dependent upon men. However, I suspect that most of us don’t necessarily want all the responsibility associated with pulling in half of the household’s income. I’d personally like to be a “housewife” but only because of the implied freedom. Oh to be able to do what I want whenever I want, and not have to worry about my 9-5. I currently have a houseman who does this, and I am a little jealous. I go to work Mon – Fri, and I do all the housework anyway.
Men are such slackers sometimes 
No. Maybe for a little bit, but not long.
My mother was the best stay at home mom a kid could’ve asked for…she was home with my little sister and I until I was 8 and she was 5…then she had a mental breakdown because she didn’t know what else to do with her life now that her “babies were gone”.
That and my feminist influences from there on out, I’ve decided that’s not the route for me.
I graduated college in May with a BA in English Literature and am currently working as a nanny. When people ask what my career goal is, I straight up tell them I want to be a stay-at-home Mom. Most people look at me weird and ask if I’m serious. I am.
Only boring people get bored.
I went to college and got a teaching degree, taught for a few years and then when I got pregnant I decided to stay home with the kids. Personally I love it. I love having my own schedule, being able to keep up with the house and spend ample time with my kids. I love being able to explore hobbies and read books and do what I want. There are a million things to do when you aren’t slaving away for someone else. It’s nice to work for yourself! So the work itself isn’t always totally satisfying….(ie toilets and floors) but the rest of the time that is yours and your childrens’ is!
While I have nothing against those that want to be housewives or who want their wife to be a stay-at-home-mom, I personally don’t think I’d like it. Simply because I want to be a teacher, I want to be able to help kids want to learn, not just my own. And I’ll put my all into my family when I have one, but I don’t think I’d want to give up teaching simply because I’d be a mom, too. Besides, I’d probably have similar schedules being a teacher, so I’d be able to have the best of both, I think.
I think both spouses should undertake house duties. Although I think that would be hard if both had full-time jobs… This summer I worked part-time and I ended up doing most of the chores since my bf works full-time and usually stays late at the office too. He was always willing to help on weekends, though.
Not in my plans but I’m not totally against it.
I AM a housewife or at least a HouseS/O and it IS work and even though we have no children I am constantly cleaning, picking up, straightening up, cooking, and so on. My only break time is when my honey is home from work. We had talked about me working when we first started our lives together, but it was decided that me working would have kept us from spending time together and would do more damage in the long run. So, I opted to be a stay home spouse and mange the home and maintain it’s environment and I have no regrets about the decision.
My goal is to be what is called I think a “kept” man. All ask for is digital cable with all the HBO’s, internet, and a pool. I’ll even wear the little underwear and a apron while I cook her dinner.
Barbara “Cut Me Some Slack, Jack” Billingsley, whose picture you posted, was the archtypical, tongue-in-cheek Mother Knows Best from the family sitcoms of the 1950′s- early ’60′s era. The concept of “housewives” may seem quaint in the modern pop culture. However, as I’ve often pointed out, homemaking/motherhood is the central profession upon which all healthy civilizations rest. Anything that doesn’t directly help Mom to do her all-important job is superfluous. That’s why Home Economics and Industrial Arts (for girls and boys respectively!) used to be universally taught in high school and were highly attended. Since then, girls have been cajoled into seeking “careers”; leaving their kids to be raised by strangers… and actors! You see the results in every jail in America.
“You can’t plan your life on just getting married and that’s the end of it!” – Marriage is just the beginning. The beginning of buying, decorating, and maintaining a home. The beginning of children, which leads to teenage children, which is a whole new world. The begging of a huge family (as you inherit inlaws by getting married). The beginning of family vacations and pets and yard work and bills and cooking and cleaning. For starters. How could anyone think that marriage is the end?
Not my goal at all.
Right now I’m unemployed. I hated it at first because I couldn’t find anything to do. Now, I have gotten myself on a little schedule to keep myself occupied and I don’t think I want to go back to work. Of course, I am going to school to be “something,” but….
Yeah, I think I would like to be a housewife.
I’d like to be married to a man who can support my family without me having to work. Not that I am lazy and don’t want to work, but because I want to have that connection with my children. My mother worked two and three jobs at a time my entire life and there were times that I just wanted her to be there with me. Ya know? I don’t want my children to feel this way. I want them to know that I am going to be there for them. I am planning on going back to school to get my associates degree in Early Childhood Education which means I can either work in a daycare/preschool that allows me to have my children in the school or I will opperate an in home day care. I enjoy taking care of other people’s kids … I know I’m weird. LOL
I definitely do not want to be a housewife. I hate the idea of being completely financially dependent on another person. I already live with my parents at the age of 26, and it’s something I feel very ashamed of. I am glad they can help me out when my job isn’t bringing in as much money as I would like, but I never want to be in that position again. That’s what being a housewife would feel like to me. It would be so humiliating not bringing in my share of the household income or if I was married to a man who made a lot more than I did. I think I’d always be scared he’d hold it over my head that he was the one earning the money.
And besides, my career is very important to me. I am working to build it, and I do not want to give it up once I finally achieve it.
I see nothing wrong with a woman being a homemaker. But I do see something wrong with the idea that it’s her place, just because she’s a woman.
It was my aspiration, and is my daughter’s. Homemaking is the most fulfilling occupation a woman can master. Other occupations are also gratifying and satisfying, but none can compare to making a home, caring for family, and keeping a marriage. None are as challenging, or utilize more of all that woman has to give. However, it is like any other job: It is what you make of it!
If I was a housewife, I’d be so bored and dissatisfied with my life that I’d probably jump out a window. I need to feel like I’m actually doing something and helping someone. I also need to occupy my time besides vacuuming and cooking.
@BooksForMe - You could help a lot more people through charities or working for a non-profit. It’s false to say that it’s the “most satisfying” job ANY woman would want. Not every woman wants that job. To some, it is as satisfying as you say. To many others, it wouldn’t be fulfilling at all. My mom is a housewife and I see that she is depressed and wants to do more with her life, which is why she returned to school at 52. You should think before making such sweeping generalizations.
@hollowhopes - Thank you for your comment, because you have highlighted one of the reasons being a homemaker is so very fulfilling. As a homemaker I have been able to work with numerous non-profits and charities over the years. At the moment, I am the Vice-President of one non-profit, the President of another, and actively involved in yet another. I’m glad your mother is being proactive about her life now. As I said in my first comment, it’s like any other job: It’s as good as you make it.
I wonder why you would assume my first comment was made without thought. Dan asked what Ithought. I told him. I expected some would disagree. That’s their prerogative, but I am entitled to my opinion.
I also think it’s very presumptuous to suggest a homemaker isn’t helping “a lot more people” than anyone in any other career. Who can quantify how many people anyone is helping? Is a college professor helping more people than a daycare worker? Is a doctor helping more people than an orderly? Is a PhD helping more people than someone who is illiterate?
I’m sorry you think a homemaker is just someone who vacuums and cooks. How unimaginative! If that was my job description, I would jump out a window, too! LOL Actually, no. I take that back. If that was my job description, I’d tear it up and write a new one!
My roommate and my bro’s wife want to be a “homemaker/perfect wife.” As for me, that’s not even in my agenda. xD
no until i have a kid