Researchers have expressed concerns about a trend known as the ‘trad wife’ aesthetic, which they believe highlights significant issues.
Over recent years, a new trend has surfaced on social media, capturing the interest of many young people.
This trend is referred to as the ‘tradwife’ movement, short for traditional wife.
The concept behind the trend is straightforward: it romanticizes the idea of women leaving their careers to assume the role of a traditional wife, reminiscent of lifestyles from the 1950s and 60s.
Numerous individuals on social media have shared their experiences of adopting this trend, discussing the changes it has brought to their lives.
The movement advocates that wives and young women should forego employment in favor of dedicating their time to household tasks like cleaning and cooking, dressing in modest or traditional clothing, and adhering to conventional etiquette.
Despite its appeal, some researchers suggest there are troubling aspects linked to this aesthetic and lifestyle.
Experts from the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s Business School in the UK posit that the trend may indicate underlying struggles faced by women today.
Professor Heejung Chung, involved in the study, provided insights into what the increasing popularity of this trend represents.
She stated: “The tradwife trend isn’t nostalgia—it’s a warning sign.
“Rather than evidence of a return to old-fashioned family values, the tradwife trend shows how younger women are struggling to reconcile impossible demands.
“They are signaling frustration with workplaces that still expect full devotion to work, while family responsibilities remain largely unchanged and shouldered by women.”
Another researcher emphasized that many younger women might be unaware of the historical challenges faced by ‘traditional wives’ in past decades.
They pointed out that the trend promotes ‘hostile sexism,’ suggesting women should be submissive and acknowledge a secondary position to men, who hold predominant power.
Researcher Shiyu Yuan remarked: “Many younger women engaging with tradwife content may have little historical awareness of the realities faced by women in eras when financial dependence left them vulnerable—without legal or economic power and often trapped in relationships marked by inequality or even domestic abuse.
“Forgetting this history risks romanticizing a past that, for many women, was neither safe nor empowering.”
The researchers concluded that the engagement with this content among young people is an attempt to envision an escape from the stress and mental health challenges of contemporary work.
The study’s findings ultimately suggest that the tradwife trend reflects the exhaustion of modern life rather than a genuine longing for past eras.