McBlog: Uh Oh, Women Still Wanna Be Tradwives

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:08]Well, in November 2023, Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron held the last latest meeting of the Christchurch Call. Uh and it was held in Paris. Now, the the Christchurch Call was supposed to be in response to the horrific terrorist attack on two mosques with the tragic loss loss of 51 lives.

[00:00:28]That's what it was supposed to be focused on. Supposed to be.

[00:00:32]But, in the statement at the end of the Paris meeting, uh and leaders welcomed the report on misogynistic pathways to radicalization, recommended measures for platforms to assess and mitigate online gender-based violence, uh which included the following. And of course, you know, we're looking for terrorists that carry out horrific acts of terrorism.

[00:00:57]Well, this is what it said.

[00:00:59]Structural gender inequality and gender norms can also lead to internalized misogyny. An extreme example is the emergence of tradwives as an influential online community showcasing the reinforcing elements of far-right ideology, Christian nationalism, white supremacy, and patriarchal gender norms.

[00:01:23]Tradwives embrace a highly heteronormative rendition of the wife and mother role in opposition to feminism, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and gender equality. Researchers highlight that tradwives use their presence on social media to offer powerful female in-group association and successfully infiltrated mainstream social media with their anti-globalist, anti-modern approach to life.

[00:01:49]While women's roles in violent extremist ideologies and communities varies, apparently they are involved in violent extremist ideologies apparently.

[00:01:59]Research finds that women only forums have also served as the gendered sites of ideological contestation.

[00:02:06]Where women are asserting agency in their everyday practices despite otherwise constraining gendered ideological constructs.

[00:02:16]Golly, they don't seem to like women, do they? Somebody please call the disinformation project.

[00:02:23]Oh wait, hang on. They've been shut down for peddling disinformation.

[00:02:28]But you know, speaking of the disinformation project, I've just got to play this clip from a documentary about disinformation featuring the disinformation project telling us a couple of years that all the real risk to the fabric of society is down to tradwives. Yes, tradwives.

[00:02:50]>> You can draw [music] people in in lots of different places.

[00:02:54]And each of the platforms [music] are used in different ways.

[00:03:01]What is known internationally as [music] a kind of tradwife set of viewpoints which are white Christian, lot of pseudo-Celtic, pseudo-Nordic ideologies behind it.

[00:03:12]They use [music] Pinterest and Instagram to draw in other women who are interested in interior design, children's clothing, knitting, healthy food for children.

[00:03:26]And it does draw people in towards a set of white nationalist ideas. I mean, it's relatively easy to see. If you see a very beautiful fair-skinned blonde or redhead child with beautiful braiding in her hair and some flowers, just step back a little bit.

[00:03:44]>> [laughter] >> Just step back.

[00:03:48]Yep, that is a classic. But the tradwife movement is making a comeback because conservative values, getting married, going to church, surprise, surprise, actually makes you happy.

[00:04:00]Uh and the media have been all over this. Here's just a few examples from the past year or two. Uh Stuff, the online trend of tradwives changing the meaning of feminism. Stuff says submissive wives have happy lives inside the tradwife movement that wants to turn back time.

[00:04:19]Woman's Day uh talk about the dark side of tradwives.

[00:04:24]Radio New Zealand, what a tradwife on Married at First Sight tells us about a growing trend.

[00:04:29]Radio New Zealand also from tradwife to 4B, the ways we were told to be a woman in 2024.

[00:04:37]Radio New Zealand, the business of tradwives. Uh remember Radio New Zealand, you're paying for this as well.

[00:04:43]>> [snorts] >> Uh the growing tradwife trend. Uh your taxpayer funding is certainly going into a lot of coverage on tradwives. But also the New Zealand Herald, top divorce lawyer Deborah Chambers KC on tradwives and the cost of ending a marriage. Uh New Zealand Herald with a tradwife in Married at First Sight Australia, a nostalgic vision of womanhood takes center stage.

[00:05:08]A harrowing memoir that tradwife fans need to read.

[00:05:13]I swapped my career for life of as a traditional wife for a week.

[00:05:19]Uh and even AUT had a special feature on it for their students. What is a tradwife?

[00:05:27]Woo, these tradwives are a major threat.

[00:05:31]Uh and a couple of months ago this very disturbing article, Rise of tradwife movement reflects youth shift to conservative values.

[00:05:41]And the article was filled with phrases such as growing trends towards conservative and the far right.

[00:05:49]The tradwife movement, which dovetails with the far right women's movement. Uh, she is an ultra tradwife. Ultra tradwife.

[00:05:58]Uh, the only thing that is a concern is what's happening with the far right movement because what we're seeing in America is a new state of political play, this post-democratic America. And there was this one, >> [cough] >> excuse me, from the manosphere to tradwives, why are young men embracing traditional gender roles?

[00:06:17]Uh, and it says Australian research shows that young women are increasingly supporting traditional gender roles compared with 14 years ago.

[00:06:25]Young men showed no change in their support for paternalism or gendered roles over the same period. Online trends such as the manosphere and tradwives encourage women to focus on looking after the home, the man, and the family.

[00:06:39]Ah, so it's actually the girls, the females, that are becoming the little conservative radicals.

[00:06:48]But I noticed, uh, just last week it was 60 Minutes in Australia that have now panicked about the issue.

[00:06:55]The truth about manwives and the men who want them.

[00:06:59]Uh, and it says look up the tradwife hashtag on social media, you'll see perfect homes, perfect children, and perfectly baked sourdough.

[00:07:07]Online, more and more women are spending their entire days in the kitchen baking meals for their family from scratch and spreading a message of serving and sometimes obeying their husbands.

[00:07:19]But new research has uncovered what's actually behind the tradwife phenomenon and it's not just social media. All right, look, let's have a watch, uh, of just a few excerpts of this 60 Minutes.

[00:07:31]And, well, let's down let's identify these downtrodden and exploited women and the misogynistic and far right men who are attacking women's rights and freedoms.

[00:07:46]So, let's have a watch.

[00:07:47]>> I'm on 60 Minutes.

[00:07:49]>> Typical blue and pink jobs, boy jobs and girl jobs.

[00:07:52]>> Yes.

[00:07:52]>> Generation old-fashioned.

[00:07:54]>> That means submitting to my husband.

[00:07:56]>> The rise and rise of the tradwife.

[00:07:59]>> the tradwife movement as a warning?

[00:08:01]>> Absolutely. I don't think this movement is just led by women.

[00:08:05]>> That's next on 60 Minutes.

[00:08:08]>> Okay, that's a very dramatic introduction. All right, let's get into it.

[00:08:13]>> You might think that in 2026, anyone coming out and saying a woman's place is in the home would prompt immediate demands for them to wash their mouths out with soap. But what if the people saying it were in fact the women themselves?

[00:08:29]>> No.

[00:08:29]>> Well, that's exactly what's now happening more and more often.

[00:08:34]>> Shocking.

[00:08:34]>> It's thanks to a growing movement of so-called tradwives, women who, with their husband's blessing or expectation, >> Oh, well, there's quite a bit of difference between blessing and expectation, isn't there? Anyway, uh it's good that they know what a woman is. I mean, I think that's progress for the media.

[00:08:52]>> are choosing to return to traditional household roles.

[00:08:56]Put simply, he's the breadwinner, she's the breadmaker.

[00:09:02]>> Oh, lovely play on words there.

[00:09:04]>> How does your household work? Who does what? Well, typical blue and pink jobs, but then we are a team at the end of the day. So, >> Blue and pink, that is very binary. This is going downhill fast, isn't it?

[00:09:17]>> Blue and >> I'd say like me cooking and cleaning, um Cresci's outside doing all of the like yard work and yeah, making the money for us.

[00:09:32]>> The idea of pink and blue jobs might be rare [music] these days, but for the Busonovich's, it's a recipe for wedded bliss.

[00:09:41]>> Come on, doll.

[00:09:42]>> Oh, wedded bliss. We don't want wedded bliss, do we?

[00:09:45]>> Come on.

[00:09:46]>> On their Queensland [music] property, Amber does the housework and looks after daughters Mila [music] and Lucia.

[00:09:54]>> That's pretty shocking, eh, that she is focused on looking after the children.

[00:09:58]>> While husband Kreshi is in charge of the cash.

[00:10:02]>> Nothing compares to the fulfillment that I feel being at home, being there for my family, supporting my family in my own way.

[00:10:12]>> She looks really downtrodden, eh, really depressed about her circumstances. Uh, not.

[00:10:18]>> [music] >> Halfway around the world in the US city of Nashville, Janae Elizabeth loves nothing more than cooking and serving breakfast for her husband, Austen Michael.

[00:10:31]>> Uh-oh. They're praying.

[00:10:33]>> Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for this food.

[00:10:35]>> Being a traditional wife to me is fulfilling my role as a biblical wife.

[00:10:40]And within that means submitting to my husband, serving him as he serves me as well. And my [clears throat] priorities are taking care of the home and [music] making it a home, bringing it peace, cooking, cleaning.

[00:10:53]>> And you, Austin?

[00:10:55]>> She looks so content and happy. I mean, yeah, weird, eh?

[00:10:59]>> What's your role in the household?

[00:11:01][music] >> I like to to see myself as as the provider and protector.

[00:11:05]Uh, like I think men are are little more >> [music] >> uh, we're kind of built for battle or we're built for to endure. Um, so that women don't have to.

[00:11:14]>> So, I I I I >> Wow, provider and protector. What a misogynist.

[00:11:19]>> boss, Austin? Are you the leader of the household?

[00:11:22]>> I mean, you'd have to ask her.

[00:11:25]>> You have to ask her. Classic.

[00:11:27]>> [laughter] >> It sounds like something straight out of the 1950s, [music] but Janay and >> out of the 1950s. I'm not sure how they plucked that date out. Why didn't they say out of the 1910s or uh the 1840s? Uh anyway, >> are modern women who have chosen [music] to revert to traditional gender roles.

[00:11:50]>> 19 >> There is 10 eggs.

[00:11:52]>> Yay!

[00:11:53]>> That will be great for making the cakes.

[00:11:56]>> While being a so-called [music] tradwife might not be everyone's >> cup of tea, >> nor a luxury all can afford, this [music] revival and repackaging of old-fashioned domestic life has taken off.

[00:12:10]>> Yep.

[00:12:11]>> Welcome to life [music] as a tradwife.

[00:12:12]Of course, we're grocery shopping today.

[00:12:15]>> So, is it a hack for happy homes?

[00:12:18]>> The wife that stays home, that cooks the dinner, >> or a step backwards for women?

[00:12:24]>> Well, >> Oh, it's definitely a step backwards. I mean, just look how unhappy all these women look.

[00:12:29]>> is out making the money.

[00:12:31]>> [music] >> Is this the life you always wanted?

[00:12:35]>> No. So, we were chasing so much more. I was always career-driven. I had goals of what I wanted to achieve, [music] and then I just started getting burnt out, and [music] having a family, too, changed everything for me.

[00:12:52]>> Yep, sure does. And interestingly, that she challenges the whole work-life balance myth that is often presented that we just need to make the work-life balance better and more attractive. We'll hear the experts say that and see.

[00:13:06]>> You want to be a good mom, you want to be a good wife, you want to be there for yourself, too, and being so time-poor, it it just I couldn't do it.

[00:13:15]>> Amber quit her job [music] as corporate operations manager for a global makeup brand to run the home, and it certainly seems to work for everyone.

[00:13:26]>> Yeah.

[00:13:26]>> Now, remember, I just want to remind you that the Christchurch call that I read you before uh talked about tradwives as being part of a emerging uh violent extremist ideology.

[00:13:40]Yeah, lots of evidence of that right here, eh?

[00:13:43]>> balance. Like um yeah, I do my bit, she does her bit, vice versa.

[00:13:48]>> He does his bit.

[00:13:50]And she does her bit. Wow. I mean he sounds like a control freak.

[00:13:55]Uh well, except he doesn't.

[00:13:56]>> If each other need help, we help help each other.

[00:14:00]>> Well, I mean she's clearly miserable.

[00:14:01]You've got to change in the kitchen. I can see that.

[00:14:04]>> No, definitely not. It's my choice.

[00:14:06]>> It's a happy home.

[00:14:08]>> Why are these families so happy?

[00:14:09]>> This is a very happy home.

[00:14:11]>> [music] >> There are thousands of social media accounts just like Janae's. [music] Some with millions of followers.

[00:14:21]>> Let that rise for about 5 hours before turning it out and roughly shaping it.

[00:14:26]>> Yeah, um I don't think most uh women when they're making food dress like that, but anyway, remember this is social media.

[00:14:33]>> into two loaves.

[00:14:34]>> Serving up a glossy, glamorized version >> Yes.

[00:14:37]>> of domestic >> glossy >> bliss.

[00:14:39]>> Professor Heejung Chung >> Okay, here we go. Let's bring in the expert.

[00:14:44]>> um is director [music] of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at London's King's College. She's been tracking what's behind the tradwife phenomenon.

[00:14:55]>> Oh, thank goodness.

[00:14:56]>> in a society where there's a very high level of stress.

[00:15:00]So, if you go on the internet and see this woman who is completely non-stressed, very relaxed, has this very kind of beautiful relationship with their >> Um the problem with the argument that she's about to make is that she's judging it on women who are doing uh social media shorts and reels.

[00:15:22]They're in front of camera. Of course, it's different to the day-to-day grind 24/7. But anyway, this expert doesn't seem to be able to figure that out.

[00:15:32]>> children where they're feeding them homemade home meals sourdough bread.

[00:15:36]It is a bit alluring. So, is it a rejection then of modern pressures and the juggle, the chaos?

[00:15:43]>> I think there is a bit of a false nostalgia. I think one of the dangers of what the tradwives are showing is that what they're depicting never existed.

[00:15:53]>> Oh, really?

[00:15:55]I think it did exist actually, and that's why people I mean, they keep on saying they're returning to the 1950s.

[00:16:01]So, it must have existed, eh?

[00:16:03]All right, okay.

[00:16:03]>> This whole idea that oh, in the 1950s women were able to be look pretty and leisurely kind of break bread from scratch never actually existed. There was a lot of housework to be done. There was a lot of drudgery. And unfortunately, when you decide to be a housewife without any financial means or independence, it does lead to problems with regards to your ability to be autonomous. [music] >> Autonomous.

[00:16:30]>> Professor Chung's research also uncovered some disturbing attitudes among young men. This year we found that a third of Gen Z men [music] found that women should always obey their husband. A third of Gen Z [music] men. It was just a bit of a shocking >> Yeah, I'm going to come back to that research cuz there's actually something very interesting that she didn't tell you.

[00:16:52]>> have lost ways of feeling being a man.

[00:16:56]Like, I can't be the provider because my wife learns or my girlfriends earns more. I can't really be a protector because she's a strong empowered woman.

[00:17:05]Um so, what do I have left? So, in a way, this is a way for men to kind of try to claw back their masculinity.

[00:17:12]>> Do you consider yourself a feminist?

[00:17:15]>> That's a very hard label because that's the type of person that I'm receiving the most hate online from.

[00:17:22]>> From feminists?

[00:17:23]>> Yeah, pretty mind-blowing because isn't a feminist supposed to be a person that is fighting for women to be able to do what they want to do?

[00:17:31]>> What would you say to Australian men looking for a trad wife?

[00:17:34]>> Keep looking.

[00:17:36]>> [laughter] >> They're out there, man.

[00:17:38]If I could give any advice to to men looking for that kind of relationship, I think you ought to look at yourself first and consider are you worthy of that? I >> Wow.

[00:17:51]He sounds like a misogynist, doesn't he?

[00:17:53]Are you worthy of a good wife? Yeah, uh Yeah, I wish more men had a attitude like that.

[00:18:01]>> a lot of the what gets confused as control, which I see as responsibility.

[00:18:07]>> Uh control versus responsibility.

[00:18:10]>> Um it's not as as great as it it seems to be, you know?

[00:18:13]>> Do you feel it's a lot to carry? I mean, are you ever burdened by having to make all the decisions and earn all the money?

[00:18:20]>> Sure. I mean, it's I think it's just as um >> great responsibility.

[00:18:24]>> Yeah, not to quote uh Spider-Man, but with great power comes great responsibility, right?

[00:18:30]>> It's also in the Bible.

[00:18:31]>> Yes. Uh sorry.

[00:18:33]>> can quote Spider-Man.

[00:18:34]>> [laughter] >> Well, not not directly. It's the same principle is definitely in the Bible, yes.

[00:18:39]>> Oh, there we are. Bit of a correction from the wife. Uh yeah, okay. They look very unhappy. I mean, this trad wife stuff is going downhill. I mean, those families just are totally dysfunctional, eh?

[00:18:51]Uh actually, it's it's exact I I I think that 60 Minutes is probably doing some great advertising for old-school traditional families. But anyway, they had a little uh extra bit. 60 Minutes decided that they'd do a little bit of a um extra coverage, and they went back to a documentary that they'd done back in 2002 on a similar issue of sort of traditional families, traditional marriage. Have a watch of this. This is hilarious.

[00:19:16]>> 25 years ago though, there was an even more controversial movement that swept through parts of the United States.

[00:19:24]There, wives decided the key to wedded bliss was to completely surrender to their husbands.

[00:19:31]>> No way.

[00:19:33]Okay, this is going to be interesting.

[00:19:34]>> Never nag, and just follow one simple direction.

[00:19:38]Whatever you want, dear.

[00:19:40]>> Never nag. Um Is there a problem with that? Oh, okay, carry on.

[00:19:45]>> In 2001, 60 Minutes reporter Peter Overton ventured into the polarizing world of surrendered wives.

[00:19:53]>> Polarizing.

[00:19:54]>> This book is the best. You have to read it.

[00:19:58]Read it, read it, read it.

[00:19:59]>> They believe they are women reborn, converts to that notion that marital victory comes only after surrender.

[00:20:07]>> I am a very controlling person, and I had started to control my husband, and >> themselves surrendered wives, and their guru is this woman, Laura Doyle. And devoutly they follow her two main rules [laughter] for being a surrendered wife.

[00:20:24]>> Oh, okay, these two rules?

[00:20:26]>> Yeah. The first is that you treat your husband with respect. So, not that you would always agree with him, but you would honor his choices for his life, from socks to stocks to art to friends.

[00:20:37]The second is that you would relinquish control of his life. You would never tell him how to get dressed or when to mow the lawn or how to load the dishwasher, cuz you trust him to be capable and competent to do those things on his own. Our 12th wedding anniversary is coming up shortly, and >> Laura [clears throat] remembers the bad old days when she used to nag her husband, John.

[00:20:59]>> I remember telling him how to load the dishwasher, you know, that he needs to rinse the plates off better, or telling him to change lanes, or it's quicker to take the freeway to our favorite restaurant that we go to every week that he knows how to get to. And I thought on some level I was just being helpful, but >> I bet no husband can relate to this, hey?

[00:21:16]>> But really I was being critical.

[00:21:18]>> So, were you heading for the divorce court?

[00:21:20]>> We were. I'm not proud of it, but if we kept on the road we were on, we were definitely going to get divorced.

[00:21:27]>> Mhm, yeah, okay. Nothing worse than a a marriage that is strong and involves respect and love for each other and doting on kids.

[00:21:37]Yeah, anyway, look, I'm just related to the research. Here's the interesting thing, the research that they refer to, let me show you the graph.

[00:21:45]It does show that Gen Z males, that's the younger generation, are just slightly more likely than millennials to say that a wife should always obey her husband. That's the top line there. So, 31% um which, you know, I mean it's just above 29 of the previous generation, uh but that means still that 69% don't agree with that statement, but look at the lower line.

[00:22:11]One in five women, almost one in five women, of both Gen Z and millennials also agree with the statement.

[00:22:20]I can hardly breathe.

[00:22:23]Uh >> [laughter] >> Anyway, that was a nice little advertisement for traditional families and strong marriages, I thought. I'm not sure that's what they quite intended. Anyway, I am off home to my trad wife. Uh she always gives me good advice. She says, "Bob, happy wife, happy life."

[00:22:42]Uh she also says, "Bob, what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine."

[00:22:49]But I always have the last say in our marriage.

[00:22:53]Yes, dear.