The “tradwife,” short for “traditional wife” is a fast-growing lifestyle that emulates the 1950’s housewife and can be seen everywhere on social media today. You may have encountered a tradwife on TikTok or Instagram; she’s typically a full-time domestic caregiver, bows to her husband, and has little to no financial independence. Some accounts are a parody. Many are real. Some consider this a movement against modern feminism and the burnout culture so many women experience as they aspire to “have it all.” Journalist and author Jo Piazza has been following the tradwife culture for the past year and shares her insights.

More about Jo Piazza: She is a bestselling author, podcast creator of Under the Influence, and award-winning journalist. You can subscribe to her very popular Substacks: Over the Influence.

Jo is the national and international bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance (which debuts in 2024), We Are Not Like Them, You Were Always Mine, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, The Knockoff, and How to Be Married. Her work has been published in ten languages in twelve countries, and four of her books have been optioned for film and television.