The “tradwife” phenomenon is interesting. It first gained traction in the US in the 2010s, but over the past couple of years has become an entire subculture on the internet. Wearing cottagecore aprons, perfectly set makeup and 1950s-esque hair, tradwives depict the domestic bliss that can only be found in a fairytale.
But why has it become so popular? The glamorisation of domesticated roles for women is something that has come under a lot of scrutiny, and for good reason; after years championing for equal rights, it can feel like the re-emergence of this concept is reversing the milestones we’ve hit as a society.
For some reason, being confined to the house and becoming subservient to your husband is becoming an evermore appealing concept to young women. As an article by Woolf et al points out, the increase in popularity of this phenomenon only fuels inequality in how women are treated by encouraging behaviours that can lead to Gender Based Violence.
By no means is the tradwife movement the only gender-centred trend right now. A similar movement can be seen online affecting young men. I’m sure we are all familiar with the term “alpha male”, used to describe a dominant, assertive man who has a high position in the social and/or professional hierarchy. Like the tradwife movement, there are more and more content creators capitalising on spreading this idea to young men. The infamous Andrew Tate and his many scandals is just one of many creators involved.
The concept of an “Alpha” and “Beta” male is centred around observations made on wolf packs. This was later applied to other social animals, and ultimately, people too. This is, of course, incredibly restrictive, classifying all men as one of only two options. It simplifies the very idea of masculinity, limits what a man could become, and makes a baseless assumption of what is considered attractive to women.
This is incredibly damaging to men, not only by conditioning them in what makes a “perfect” man, but fostering self-doubt too. In a study conducted on university-level varsity athletes, “dominant” individuals, who would fit the title of an alpha male, were found to have less self-esteem, and higher levels of narcissism, aggression and disagreeableness. Prestigious individuals, on the other hand, were rated as being better athletes like their dominant peers, but were found to be more socially skilled, cooperative, ethical and moral. These results display how strict categories like “alpha” and “beta” only set up a false dichotomy that restricts what men can be.
And so we have two global internet movements targeting both men and women, seeking to appeal to their respective demographics by advertising an “ideal” lifestyle and future. Both movements focus on potential insecurities of each gender and offering a way to become more desirable to the opposite sex. It’s demeaning, objectifying and extremely outdated: and yet, it continues to be a massive influence on young people’s lives.
However, recent research shows that the tradwife trend isn’t an indicator of society ‘regressing’. A survey conducted at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership of 1000 women aged 18-34 showed that they are attracted more to the aesthetic of simplicity and escape from the pressures of demanding and yet insecure work. So there is hope: the traditional gender role of the man being the sole breadwinner, while women are constrained within the caregiver role isn’t what appeals to young women.
It’s telling, then, that more young women are seeing a restrictive lifestyle of the past as something to look upon as a form of escapism. Professor Heejung Chung, one of the researchers, said, “[women are] signalling frustration with workplaces that still expect full devotion to work, while family responsibilities remain unchanged and shouldered by women.”
This exposes one of the fatal flaws of the tradwife and alpha male movements. If these movements are not properly responded to, there is the very real risk that young people develop an unhealthy view of what their “role” is in society.
The idea of family life that the tradwife movement proposes is authoritarian, but an entire generation of young women are being pushed towards the idea that this is the only escape that they have from the perceived impossible choice between family and work. Instead of the possible balance that could be achieved, with the proper measures, women will instead end up restricted in their autonomy, which was painfully fought for over decades.
So if this so-called resurgence is caused by the need for an escape, it’s evident that something needs to change. Whether that be through providing more child support so that women aren’t as burdened by their expected responsibility, or educating people on the risk of total financial dependency, steps need to be taken by authorities to curb these trends.
Photo by Marisa Howenstine on Unsplash
