Homemaker Or Housewife: Two Sides Of The Same Coin?

Are you a housewife or a homemaker? Is homemaker just another name for housewife? Learn the difference and the impact of using a homemaker instead of a housewife. 

Housewife in Hindi is गृह स्वामिनी. There is a slight difference between housewife and homemaker with respect to the spirit in which it is meant. 

My childhood memories include watching my mother slog at home and finding my father getting ready and marching out for work. This type of family set-up was normal when I was growing up. 

Most of the families had fathers who were bread-earners and mothers who played the role of caregivers. Because of this, my dad automatically received the tag of a manager and my mother that of a housewife.

What is a Housewife?

Generally, when people inquired about my parents, I used to boast about my dad’s position in his office. When it came to my mother, I used to squirm a bit and inform them in a lowered voice that she was a housewife. 

Not that I was embarrassed. The term “housewife” is misleading. As far as I could comprehend at that age, she was my father’s wife, not the house’s wife. So that word baffled me.

As I grew up, my confusion transitioned into anguish. How my mother could accept this triviality? How could she accept only being someone’s wife? 

Does this not kill her individuality? Unsure of whether this might hurt her or not, I could not do anything else other than calling her a housewife. 

Later in my professional life, when I heard children addressing their mothers as “housewives,” I conceded that not much has changed. Mothers doing household chores still form a huge part of the unpaid workforce. 

We don’t give a second thought to the women in our families who work diligently, day-in and day-out in our kitchens, cooking and plating hot, fresh food for us. 

They organize and make our beds and bedrooms, clean our homes spick-and-span. How is it we never even say a modest, ‘thank you’ to them?

When I shared my thoughts about the word “housewife” with my friends and acquaintances, most of them agreed with me and expressed that they were true, being thankless to their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, without giving it a second thought.

I want a significant change in our attitude and that has to start by changing the word we use for addressing women who do household chores.

Homemaker, not housewife! There’s a slight difference between a housewife and homemaker, mainly in its usage and spirit. Rather, a housewife does not mean anything. 

There is a mistake in not only its usage but also its formation. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a housewife is a married woman whose main occupation is caring for her family, managing household affairs, and doing housework.

Also read: What Zero-Investment Business Ideas For Housewives Can I Start From Home?

What is a Homemaker?

The contemporary word for a housewife, or the more accepted term, nowadays, is a homemaker. It doesn’t add more responsibilities as such. According to the dictionary, “homemaker” meaning is a person, especially a woman, who manages a home.

The responsibilities of a housewife or homemaker are endless. But, the term “homemaker” is more spirit-elevating and encompasses the overall dignity and personality of women who manage household chores.

A woman gives her sweat, blood, and life in transforming a ‘house’ into a ‘home.’ In becoming a homemaker, she becomes the creator of the space that a family calls ‘Home Sweet Home.’ 

Creating a home, nurturing family, children and relationships and creating a place that allows us to be “ourselves, is a commendable feat in itself.

There’s a lot of debate on the convention of replacing housewife with homemaker. It seems logical to question whether saying homemakers, instead of a housewife, will lead to a change in our attitude towards women managing housework. 

The chances are 50-50. Agreed, labels are stifling. But, if that’s how we’re supposed to define ourselves, let’s choose an encompassing term that defines a person to their fullest capabilities.

This will help many impressionable youngsters clear up their confusion – the same confusion that troubled me and took 15 long years to understand its impact.

Today, a full-time homemaker can be a person of any gender, not necessarily a woman. If you’re wondering whether to write homemaker in the passport, then yes, this is the correct term to use for anyone who manages a home.

When we change how we refer to women in our lives, going from a simple housewife to a working homemaker, can make all the difference in boosting their sense of self-worth and self-esteem.

Also read: Housewife Jobs: 7 Best Online Jobs For Housewives Sitting At Home