housewife
n. countablen. a woman who stays at home to manage the house and take care of the family instead of working a paid job.
n. a married woman whose primary occupation is managing household affairs and caring for her family. Often considered dated in modern contexts, with 'stay-at-home mother' or 'homemaker' frequently preferred for their gender-neutral or contemporary connotations.
She worked as a housewife while her children were young.
In the mid-twentieth century, the role of the housewife was often depicted in advertisements as the pillar of domestic stability.
Sociologists have studied how the traditional image of the housewife shifted as more women entered the professional workforce, leading to a redefinition of domestic labor and shared responsibilities.
From Middle English houswyf, housewif, huswijf, equivalent to house + wife; a doublet of hussy, which it was long distinguished from and displaced due to gradual negative connotation (see Online Etymology Dictionary entry). Cognate with West Frisian húswiif, Dutch huiswijf, German Low German Huuswief, German Hausweib.
Commonly used in historical or traditional contexts; may be perceived as old-fashioned or reductive in modern professional settings.