The Tradwife to Far-Right Pipeline 

In the September edition of The Evidence, Josephine Lethbridge explores the rise of the “tradwife” lifestyle – and why it demands serious attention.   

Across the United States, families are embracing the “trad” life: homeschooling, growing their own food, and adhering to rigid gender roles. A mix of underlying concerns – about balancing work and care, fractured communities, and personal safety – is driving more women to adopt a traditionalist lifestyle.  

For Lethbridge, these worries are familiar, relatable, and, significantly, overlooked; they’re “not the ones we usually hear about when we talk about tradwives.” Public discourse tends to focus on high-profile influencers (think white, wealthy women in 50s dress), while ignoring the everyday women drawn to the movement.  

Why become a tradwife? 

A study by Rebecca Stotzer and Ashley Nelson offers new insight. Analyzing TikTok content from 60 self-identified tradwives with small followings, they found most were lower-income or middle-class, nearly half were women of color, and many were motivated by religious beliefs, childcare costs, and safety concerns.  

“Many of the different routes that women took toward a tradlife were grounded in the observation that the demands placed on modern women are unrealistic and unreliable,” said Stotzer.  

Some creators blamed feminism for creating impossible expectations. One remarked, “Feminism is ruining women’s happiness. We think we can work 40+ hours a week, raise kids, keep a beautiful home, AND have time for our husbands. We can’t. We shouldn’t.” 

Radicalization and polarization 

Researcher Siobhain Lash warns that tradwife content can subtly lead viewers toward extremist ideologies. Algorithms often promote right-leaning material, framing anti-government sentiment as an appealing alternative. 

Right-wing influencers like Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate, Lash argues, “are doing a far better job than anyone else of co-opting legitimate concerns.”  

For Lethbridge, as interest in tradwife aesthetics continues to grow, a coherent, hopeful alternative to exclusionary rhetoric is needed. To meet tradwives’ needs with empathy and sustainable solutions, we must look beyond stereotypes – and begin truly listening to their concerns.  

Read this month’s full newsletter to learn more about the steps we can take in our communities, in policy, and in our workplaces. An archive of past issues can be accessed through Social Science Space.