The Fleeting Era of the Single-Income Homemaker: A Historical and Modern Economic Perspective

A recent social media post by Claire Lehmann, founder and editor of Quillette, has sparked considerable discussion by asserting that the mid-20th century ideal of the "trad wife" – a homemaker supported by a single male income with labor-saving devices – was a "brief window" in history, now over. Lehmann argues that for most of history, domestic life was arduous labor, and the 1950s offered a unique, capitalism-driven respite before economic realities necessitated dual-income households.

Lehmann's tweet, shared on July 19, 2025, stated: > "For most of modern history, a woman’s job was to cart water in & out of the home. Pails of water were heavy & required multiple trips per day—this work made women stoop & caused them pain. The period when women were at home with labour saving devices, indoor plumbing & heating, while their husband’s salary could afford a house & support the family, lasted for a brief window in the 1950s and is now over. The romanticisation of the “trad wife” is confined to that tiny historical window when women were saved—by capitalism—from heavy labour but before they were required to earn a wage to support their families. For most of history, domestic life meant hard labour; the homemaker with shiny appliances & a securely employed husband was a fleeting mid 20th century outlier. This is a period of history that is never coming back (and it’s not because of feminism)."

Historically, women's domestic labor was indeed physically demanding and central to household survival. Before industrialization, tasks like water hauling, food preparation, and textile production were constant, laborious undertakings. The Industrial Revolution shifted some production out of the home, but women often followed, working in factories under harsh conditions, while still bearing the brunt of household duties.

The post-World War II era, particularly the 1950s in Western nations like the United States, saw a unique confluence of factors. A booming economy, coupled with the widespread availability of new household appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners, significantly reduced the physical burden of domestic chores. Simultaneously, a single male income, particularly in blue-collar sectors with strong unionization, often provided sufficient financial stability to purchase a home and support a family, leading to the cultural ideal of the stay-at-home mother. In 1950, the average cost of a house was approximately $7,400, and the average household income was around $3,300, making homeownership more accessible on a single wage than today.

However, this "brief window" was not universal and its economic underpinnings have largely dissipated. While the 1950s offered a period of relative affordability, the cost of living has since outpaced wage growth significantly. Today, housing, healthcare, and education costs have surged, making it increasingly challenging for a single income to support a family and maintain a comparable standard of living. Data indicates that a house, which cost 2.2 times a family's annual income in 1950, now costs over 5.6 times the average income. This economic shift has made dual-income households a necessity for many families to achieve financial stability and maintain their desired lifestyle.

The contemporary "trad wife" movement, which advocates for a return to traditional gender roles with women primarily focused on homemaking, often romanticizes this 1950s ideal. However, critics argue that this vision often overlooks the economic realities of modern life and the historical context of domestic labor. As Lehmann points out, the economic conditions that enabled widespread single-income family support are largely absent today, making the mid-20th century homemaker model an outlier rather than a historical norm.