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[ history ]

General Information

Homemaking is the management and care of the home, including the house, garden and family. Traditionally, such responsibilities were given to women, known as housewives. Today, as a result of a changing western society and the feminist movement, the term homemakers is used, referring to both housewives and househusbands.

Those who take up homemaking as a full time career will usually become financially dependent on their partner or their family and friends. Traditionally it was considered a husband's role to be the breadwinner or worker of the family and a wife's role to manage domestic issues and carry out household chores at home.

[ history ]

Gender Roles

The position of women as homemaker has been a very large issue raised by the feminist movement, with many feminists suggesting that equal responsibility lies with both parents or partners. They further suggest that women who take a career as a homemaker have less opportunity for social interaction and may spend too much time at home, providing an imbalance of time at home and away from home.

As a result of the feminist movement and the changing perspective of Western society and culture, the participation of males in homemaking has increased. Women are increasingly taking professional occupations and as a result, many males are becoming househusbands.