An in depth look at the history of and current state of the housewife. Lisa Davis gives us all the history of the role of, the changing of roles over time and how it has led us to continued oppression. An overall, well written history with enough humor and snark to keep the reader interested. I really thought it was unique and needed to spend time on who gets to be a housewife, and who is forced to be a housewife, challenging the stereotype of the housewife that just 'sits and eats bon bons".
The solving of this problem is challenging, complicated and political and I hope that more books and discussion on this topic continues.

Thank you to Netgalley and Legacy Lit for the ARC!

Reading Housewife feels like hanging out with your cool smart best friend. She’s come over with snacks and a bottle of wine and is talking you through the creation of society as women know it. It’s informative without feeling like someone is talking at you.

Davis managed to work her way from hunter gatherer women allllll the way to the trad-wife TikTok community in less than 300 pages, a true literary feat. She highlighted the vulnerable situation women can find themselves in when becoming a mother and wife. The fine line they walk when they start making sacrifices for their husbands benefit, helping him to pursue a higher degree or put in more time at the office to further his career. Meanwhile these women typically put off finishing school or climbing the corporate ladder with plans to return when the children are a little older. By then they themselves are older and burned out from motherhood; feeling like it’s too late or realizing that it will be exponentially harder than it would have been before.The goal post for women is constantly moving with the rules and expectations constantly contradicting themselves. Standards are high and every problem solved is quickly replaced by a new one society has just made up.

There was a lot of attention paid to the difference between who gets to be a housewife and who’s forced to be one. For the most part they were not the demure women sitting at home waiting for their husbands that that media has shown you. Historically there have been poor ethnic women leading the charge for better conditions both within their communities and for women as a whole. The attention paid specifically to statistics and inequalities of the black womans experience as the timelines progressed felt as equal and holistic as it could be.

I could go on and on recounting all the shocking facts and statistics I’ve learned from this but I’ll sum it up by saying I’m so happy this book exists. We all know that history has been filtered through a man’s perspective but it was fascinating to have a light shone on how much it still effects our lives and perceptions today. To see what has changed and what has painfully stayed the same. While it broke my heart for all the women who have come before me and for those in these situations now it also made me feel empowered. So much of the mythical housewife image that people aspire to be are fictionalized archetypes of femininity that have been taken out of context in a historical game of telephone. It like everything else these days is a performance but in it real things are lost or sacrificed. Women are so strong and are capable of making real change, especially when we work together and look out for each other. We have come so far but as we have seen play out time and time again cultural changes need to come with structural changes to be effective.

Thank you to NetGalley, Legacy Lit, and Lisa Selin Davis for my advanced e-copy!

I learned so much from this book and I am so grateful for it! I have been trying to explain to women who are regretting staying home and things on the other side aren't much better. I have a masters degree and I make a paltry sum. I do what many moms do and work in a school. I am still dependent on my husbands income and therefore still doing all the housework.
Life is rough.
I want everyone to read this.

Finally, what I would call a non-polarizing look at the work women do! 5 glowing stars to Housewife! Be it working in the home or out of the home, women are faced with a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. All women are trying their hardest to be happy and make life work for their family and I think Lisa Selin Davis drives this point home. In her beautiful look at women through centuries, Housewife allows readers to understand that with greater freedoms have come greater expectations.

I loved the history explored in the book. I was fascinated learning about prehistoric women being involved in hunting, to finding out that many lobotomies were performed on housewives! Selin Davis details women's history in a bipartisan way that I believe is much needed. Too many feminist books have been polarizing in their approach and have felt like a lot of complaining and passing the buck to someone else to do the work. Although there's no easy way to solve the issues that women face, it is helpful to understand that there is not a one size fits all approach to motherhood. How incredibly validating to all the women who keep our society going whether it's raising the next generation, working outside the home, or something in between.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Legacy Lit, and Net Galley for the ARC of this book!

Eye opening informative a look at what the title Housewife means even in the more liberated times.This book is perfect for book club discussion.#netgalley #housewife

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC!

As a millennial feminist trying to find my way in the world and build my own home and family I found this book very useful.