The Term ‘Housewife’ could soon be cosigned to the history books, as half of modern woman feel it is outdated, sexist and embarrassing, according to a new study
Researchers surveyed British females and found as many as 38 percent feel the word โhousewifeโ is outdated, while a further one in ten deem the word to be sexist or embarrassing.
Three in ten said being tech savvy was a true skill for the modern age
In fact, as many as seven in ten of the women surveyed claimed their skillsets lie in less practical areas than those of their mothers and grandmothers, with the data unveiling a range of traditional housewife skills many women no longer possess, including how to gut and fillet a fish, pluck a pheasant, build a fire in the hearth and polish silverware.
Darning socks, polishing shoes, gardening and baking also featured among the list of โhousewifelyโ tasks modern women simply do not have the time or skills to undertake.
Sewing on name tags and making beds the old-fashioned way without fitted sheets emerged as other skills modern women feel are falling by the wayside.
Despite this however, as many as 60% of females believe they are highly accomplished, with a range of new and important skillsets such as being well travelled, having financial independence, being well read and giving sound advice emerging as things women feel they possess than previous generations of women did not.
Three in ten said being tech savvy was a true skill for the modern age, while 27% said being able to negotiate a deal was important and 28% said being a good cook was still a skill worth having.
Overall, 43% of women feel they are more fulfilled than their own mother was at the same age and 71% feel they have a better work life balance.
But 61% said they did not have time to learn skills such as knitting, baking fairy cakes or handwashing clothes, while nearly a third said they tend to offload practical or household tasks to their mum or grandmother.
The survey of 2,000 women by My Nametags revealed a staggering 86% feel the expectations of women had changed over one generation โ with 40% saying earning a high salary was what determined an accomplished woman in 2018.
Lars B. Andersen, Founder and Managing Director at My Nametags, said: โWe were interested to find out what traits accomplished women have today, in comparison to previous generations, after seeing a surge in demand for stick-on name labels for school uniforms, rather than the traditional sew on labels. The results show that priorities have changed over time, as modern women are not as interested in learning traditional skills, such as knitting or sewing. Nearly 80% said they would rather pay for convenience when it comes to things like buying costumes for school plays, rather than making them by hand, or buying birthday cakes instead of baking them at home.โ
Andersen continued: โIt seems we place less importance on these skills as being an accomplished woman today is much more about being happy, financially independent and having a good group of friends.โ
The research also asked mothers to give details about things they do with their own children that their own mother didnโt do with them when they were children. Being more clued up on popular culture, watching funny videos on YouTube and being more open and honest about finances, were among the top answers.
Andersen concluded: โWe asked women about the skills or traits they would like to pass onto their own children and it was heart-warming to read the responses. These ranged from passing on their taste in music, their moral values and being more politically aware, to work ethic and good manners. There was a strong sense that, although many traditional skills are falling out of favour, these have been replaced with equally important know-hows that are prevalent among todayโs accomplished woman.โ
