Is 'Housewife' an occupation?

[Soontobe60]

First contestant on Mastermind tonight has given her occupation as housewife. Does that mean she is employed by her husband? She looks too old to have children that need looking after, and if she had an adult disabled child then her occupation would be carer.
Surely in this day and age no one claims that their occupation is housewife?

Housewives don’t pay income tax on wages but presumably all other taxes. I’m not sure that’s really a reason to be ashamed of being a housewife or to suggest it isn’t an unpaid occupation, which is the vibe I’m getting from this post. There seem to be plenty of posters claiming they are housewives and XXXX, which appears to be seen as very hard work on top of a “proper job” and should be shared 50:50 with your spouse. What if your spouse can’t do that? What of their job requires longer hours or long absences? What if there’s more work to do, more dependents, a larger property or other difficulties? Is it “ok” to be a housewife then? What IS the problem with stating what you do?

Tellme yes tax dodger is quite creative really isn't it!

Yy 5zeds

It suits a lot of men to have a wife at home keeping all that going, so that they don't have to.

I mean it's no secret is it. And it makes things much much easier at work. Which in turn makes promotion more likely etc.

Fraggling
It's a pity a lot of women don't like a husband at home, to make it easier for a promotion.
I thought we were equal.

The reason the woman ends up at home more often is a function of who has babies, maternity leave, differences in age that flow to earnings in marriages, attitudes that are still quite embedded around role in society etc.

I'm sure you know that though.

Still, increasing numbers of couples are splitting it out, both going part time for eg.

IME there are men who stay on at the office to avoid Bath time, bed time etc. Ask them if they would like to be at home with children and do so housework etc while wife works, they would say no. No way.

Men know all this stuff is work. For quite a few, the set up of having someone at home to do all that stuff is what they want. They don't want to wipe arses, clean toilets, hang around at the school gates, source last minute costumes for plays no one mentioned.

Some people like all that some people don't. It is most definitely work though. Work that some men like to avoid by staying late at work.

If men wanted to be at home with their kids then it would be so, as they are the ones who set society up, and they are the ones who still, generally, make the rules.

Two of my brother in laws are house husbands. I don’t think it’s that unusual.

It suits a lot of men to have a wife at home keeping all that going, so that they don't have to.

To be fair it suits me to have a husband who goes out to work. I don’t need to do that to feel “equal” and my husband doesn’t feel superior to me. It works for us and benefits my children, parents, wider family, and local community.

It's getting less unusual for sure.

Still, increasing numbers of couples are splitting it out, both going part time for eg

Fraggling

Yes, I did know the points you mentioned above, but not this one. I'm in my 50's and not in the workplace, S/E at home.
This is brilliant to hear and I hope it continue to increase.

Some younger, american, redditors were scandalised that 'mother' and 'wife' (well, partner) didn't come even in the top 5 things I'd use to describe myself if asked, but, it's true, I would assume someone was asking about me, not my relation to other people (whether I grew them or not)

Would they be similarly outraged by a man not mentioning being a father or a husband? I'm tangentially reminded of the way reports about women who've achieved something notable have often included domestic details signally absent from that for the equivalent man. The 'Oxford mother wins Nobel Prize' headline phenomenon, which hasn't been expunged yet.

I'm not particularly domestic, but I'd a thousand times prefer to clean a bathroom or read books to a toddler than sit at a desk juggling with figures or some other task that was just doing what the employer wants.
That's why this whole 50-50 sharing thing that seems so progressive really gets my goat. Families should decide for themselves, not toe some kind of equality line.
Yes, I know that sahms pay a price career wise. My husband and I had exactly the same education, exactly the same employer and exactly the same work to do. But because I was at home he rose ever higher up the pay scale and status while I stayed behind. So there's the pay gap right there.
I still find I had it better according to quality of life, and in the end it was all OUR money, not his. That's how we felt about it.

So what would you have women who are at home for whatever reason call themselves then?
I have decided I want all unpaid laborers to call themselves, and be called volunteers.

@AMAM8916 - what would you call someone who does as a job housekeeping? Some people who work long hours/travel abroad may employ a housekeeper, cook.

It’s a bit odd that the same job undertaken unpaid is not considered as an occupation.

@minesagin37 - some paid ‘occupations’ are just lists of jobs...

To be fair it suits me to have a husband who goes out to work.

That was me, 25-30 years ago!

During that time, three friends of mine had husbands who stayed home. It wasn't that unusual back then, in Germany. It was a convenience thing. All three women had jobs that paid well. All three husbands couldn't work because of their professions: one was an artist, one was a marine engineer and they lived in central Germany, one was a civil engineer specialised in petroleum who had last worked in the middle east! All three women would have preferred to be sahms, but with civil service jobs they were really well situated, so...

I knew dozens of stay at home dad/working mum families growing up, including for most of my teens my own.

OK, it was more due to mass unemployment than choice but it isn't something I find noteworthy.

I'm tangentially reminded of the way reports about women who've achieved something notable have often included domestic details signally absent from that for the equivalent man.

Strangely, I've noticed it mentioned most often when a man is killed.
e.g. "father of 3 killed in road rage attack", etc. Like that's the only time it's relevant.

Occupation is surely how you occupy your time.
If I'm asked, I just say a bit of this and that, then if they push I tell them what I do.
labelling is silly as there's always one that doesn't fit that particular role.