For Lack of a Better Word...

With all this talk about housewifery, it has occurred to me that some of you readers probably have the same 1950's image about the role that I tend to have.  You know, the Stepford wife, adorned in her pink dress, mopping the floor, cooking dinner, hanging the laundry, etc.  I suppose this is the most common image.

During my reading this afternoon, I encountered this exact same imagery of the housewife.  Described in a chapter titled, "I'm a Stay-at-Home Mom, Not a Housewife!," the traditional female was described almost exclusively in her relation to domestic chores.  Naturally, the modern women that were interviewed for the book were not too eager to be pigeonholed into such a description.

Admittedly, I am a bit more fond of domestic life than most; however, I, too, do not want to be seen as simply a mop-wielding, laundry-hanging Stepford wife!  That said, for the record, when I talk about the modern housewife, it is only because I don't have a better word to describe her.   The housewife I'm thinking of does more than chores.  She manages her finances assertively, she engages in entrepreneurial activities to express her creativity and earn her own income, she raises children, but is not defined solely as a "mom," and she connects to her community through both knowledge and action. 

I suppose that perhaps "housewife" may not be the best description of this creature I seek to emulate, but I'm not sure there is a better word.  So until I invent one (or one of you dear readers sends me a suggestion), "housewife" it is.  

In other posts from me today, check out my homework assignment on Cigars in the Parlour, as well as new updates On Claremont (see the sidebar for links!).