

The ‘tradwife’ movement: All flax and linen, or a pipeline to fascism?
5 snips Sep 7, 2025
Jacqueline Maley, a senior writer at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, unpacks the controversial 'tradwife' movement, exploring its ties to traditional gender roles and anti-feminist ideologies. She discusses a recent debate among South Australian students that sparked outrage over the topic's implications for women's rights. Maley also examines how the movement interacts with extremist ideologies and the role of social media in shaping these narratives, raising questions about reclaiming motherhood versus promoting harmful views.
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Aesthetic Domesticity Masks An Ideology
- The trad wife movement mixes aesthetic domesticity with explicit rejection of feminist equality.
- Jacqueline Maley describes it as social-media driven, visually curated domesticity tied to conservative gender roles.
Pro-Natalism Can Lead To Extremes
- Tradwife discourse can connect to pro-natalist and white nationalist ideas at the fringes.
- Maley warns the movement sometimes overlaps with calls to increase births and preserve a white demographic.
Doug Wilson Example Of Extremist Views
- Maley recounts Doug Wilson's CNN interview arguing women shouldn't vote and should submit to men.
- She connects his views to a broader community that runs schools and influences political figures.