These days, we all need a housewife to hand

The British housewife is on the way out - and more's the pity. 

The British housewife is fast disappearing, it emerged last week: in a survey of 2,000 women who gave up paid work to look after their families, two thirds rejected the label outright, saying that it had “negative connotations” or was even “insulting”. They preferred the title “stay-at-home mother”, which they felt hinted less strongly at domestic drudgery.

The shift is rather telling. If the ancient word “housewife” suggested a person defined chiefly by her place in the home and marriage to her husband, then “stay-at-home mother” abandons the word “wife” altogether: it junks the husband in favour of the children. “Listen, honey,” it whispers. “The sofa cushions might be plumped, and the casserole is bubbling, but it’s not really for you, it’s for them. Now, could you pop on a wash and take the rubbish out?”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/8829161/These-days-we-all-need-a-housewife-to-hand.html