Tradwives: A Bane to the Modern Economy
Women have struggled in the past and still are unable to achieve the basic human rights of their male counterparts. Being a woman is much more than being a wife, sister, and daughter. It is about reaching heights, breaking norms, and achieving what our ancestors failed to achieve. Women over the decades have suffered and struggled to provide us with the platforms and space in the various walks of life.
However, even after breaking the glass ceiling and standing our ground with our troubled past, a wave of women has occurred, relapsing into the previously existing norms of society. They seem to perceive the idea of a 1950s wife with a rose-tinted glass. Somehow, the idea of taking the roles and responsibilities of a stay-at-home mom who does cooking, cleaning, and financially relies on her husband for a flow of income has become a fantasy for some women.
Backing such ideology has led to many women leaving their independence and security in the hands of men. This sounds like the start of a calamity that’s yet to occur. Because so many women have started conforming to this dogma, statistically the number of women in the workforce has also decreased. This has rippled into the economy, losing the rigor with which it would have grown if these women had not decided to leave their careers. Or, in simple terms, taking the path of being a tradwive. The term “tradwife”, which is short for “traditional wife”, does not relate to your typical stay-at-home mother. The tradwife is uncannily flawless. Her house is immaculate. She has flawless makeup. She generally wears a flawless outfit and crafts almost everything from scratch.
Despite rising educational attainment and participation in top leadership roles at work, women still only get 70 cents for every dollar earned by men. This disparity hasn’t changed much in decades. Thus, women have lower savings for retirement and other long-term objectives and are more likely to be financially insecure.
This only goes on to show that housewives or stay-at-home girlfriends are screwed because everything stands in the favor of their partners, while they have everything to lose. Debate over the “tradwife” movement’s effects on the contemporary economy has arisen as women adopt a traditional household role. Advocates contend that it fosters personal fulfillment and traditional family values. Critics counter that it restricts personal potential, impedes economic progress, and maintains gender disparity.
Reduced Labor Force Participation
Shrinking the Talent Pool: The tradwife movement encourages women to withdraw from the paid workforce, significantly reducing the available pool of skilled and educated labor. This labor shortage can lead to skill mismatches between men and women. Businesses may struggle to find qualified candidates for crucial positions, hindering innovation and productivity.
There would be wage stagnation in all industries. A smaller labor pool can increase competition for available jobs, potentially leading to wage stagnation or even declines.
Loss of Human Capital: A sizable share of the highly educated workforce is made up of women. Society loses important human capital—the abilities, know-how, and experience that support economic expansion—when they exit the workforce.
Missed Opportunities for Innovation: Women are influential forces behind entrepreneurship and creativity. The tradwife movement restricts the possibility of innovative concepts, enterprises, and financial breakthroughs by restricting women from seeking jobs.
Lower Economic Growth
Decreased Productivity: Overall productivity may suffer with a smaller and less varied workforce. According to studies, nations with more female labor force participation typically have more GDP per capita.
Reduced Tax Revenue: Women usually make fewer contributions to the tax base when they quit their jobs. Public finances may be strained as a result, and the government’s capacity to pay for infrastructure, healthcare, and education may be restricted.
Potential for Economic Diversification Lost: A varied workforce working in a range of industries is necessary for a functioning economy. By focusing women on household duties, the tradwife movement may restrict economic diversity.
Perpetuation of Gender Inequality
Reinforcing Traditional Gender Roles: The tradwife movement upholds traditional gender norms, in which men are the main providers of income and women are generally in charge of household chores. This can reinforce negative preconceptions and restrict women’s liberty.
Reduced Earning Potential: Over time, women who decide to become tradwives frequently see a sharp drop in their economic potential. Long-term financial repercussions may result from this, especially in the event of a divorce or widowhood.
Limited Career Advancement: Re-entering a career later in life can be quite difficult for women who quit their jobs to become tradwives. They are left with an astonishingly huge gap on their resume and have to compete with people way younger than them in this capitalist society for a meagerly paying job opportunity. This may restrict their ability to grow in their work and make more money.
Social and Cultural Costs
Increased Dependency: The tradwife movement may make women more reliant on their husbands, which might put them in precarious social and economic positions. In many cases, they are stripped of their identities and independence and left at the mercy of their spouses. Such movements also allow domestic abuse. Since these women have no access to the outside world and their only link is their “so-called-husband”, they have no one to go to for help.
Restricted Social Networks: Women who prioritize taking care of the home may not have many opportunities to interact with others and follow their interests outside the house. When one is barricaded from the “outside world”, they can be brainwashed into harmful thoughts very easily.
Negative Impact on Child Development: Advocacy for tradwives asserts that they offer superior childcare. Yet, data indicates that children gain from having both parents actively participating in their development.
Addressing the Concerns
It is crucial to address the underlying factors that drive women towards the tradwife movement. These include:
Absence of reasonably priced daycare: For many working parents, the high expense of childcare is a major obstacle. This could force some households to move towards more traditional settings where the mother looks after the household while the husband earns the money.
Gender pay gap: Many women find it financially difficult to be the main provider because they are still paid less than men for equivalent work. After decades of fighting for rights, various suffrage movements, and sacrifices, we live in a world that has systematically oppressed women. We live in a world where women are yet to be recognized as equal to their male counterparts.
Lack of professional flexibility: Women may find it challenging to manage work and family obligations due to strict work schedules and little parental leave alternatives. Workplaces make it difficult for women to opt for higher roles on the corporate ladder. Dirty tricks such as workplace sexism, promoting male colleagues, and men holding sexual favors in exchange for more opportunities tend to demotivate women from participating in the workforce. In some extreme cases, it can lead to suicide. What’s shocking is that these are just the surface-level trauma that is inflicted upon women.
Conclusion
The contemporary economy faces serious difficulties from the tradwife movement. It restricts the possibility of personal fulfillment and societal advancement by keeping people out of the workforce, impeding economic growth, and maintaining gender inequity.
A robust and just economy depends on addressing the root causes that lead women to join the tradwife movement. We can build a society where women are free to reach their full potential on both a personal and professional level by funding childcare, reducing the gender wage gap, and encouraging workplace flexibility.
This ignites a majority of questions amongst the global citizens, is the society in a regressive state?
