Redefining What It Means to Be a Homemaker

Roadside Cottage. Dennis Miller Bunker, 1889. Courtesy the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

To cultivate a home is to cultivate the very world you wish to inhabit.

There are certain words that carry the weight of history, their meanings shaped by generations of societal expectation. “Homemaker” is one of them. For many, the term feels like a relic, a label relegated to a bygone era when a woman’s domain was strictly defined. It can evoke a sense of being limited, of sacrificing professional ambition for domestic duty. In our modern world, for a woman to openly aspire to be a homemaker is to risk a sideways glance, an unspoken judgment that she is somehow stepping back into a role we have fought so hard to move beyond.

I understand this resistance because I have felt it myself. As a woman who built a career in consulting and started my own businesses, the title of homemaker seemed utterly foreign to my identity. Yet, on my journey toward a more intentional and refined life, I have found myself drawn to this very word, not as a limitation, but as a source of empowerment. I am consciously choosing to reclaim and redefine what it means to be a homemaker, not in spite of my professional life, but as an essential part of it.

An Unlikely Homemaker

Just as I have adopted the title of an “unlikely minimalist” to describe my approach to a life of less without sacrificing my appreciation for luxury, I am now embracing the role of an unlikely homemaker. I do not fit the stereotype, and that is precisely the point. The notion that homemaking is reserved for a certain kind of woman—one who does not work outside the home—is a narrative that no longer serves us. It creates a false dichotomy, suggesting we must choose between a thriving career and a thriving home.

The truth is, if you have a home that you are charged with maintaining, you are a homemaker. It is not a gendered role, something one does in lieu of a professional life, or for married people only. It is a universal and essential skill set. We have allowed the term to be minimized, to be associated with a lack of ambition, when in reality, the management of a household is one of the most complex and impactful roles one can undertake. It is the art and science of creating a sanctuary, managing resources, and nurturing the well-being of a family.

Expanding the Definition

Part of this reclamation project involves expanding our perception of what homemaking entails. It is so much more than cooking and cleaning. In my own journey, I’ve personally found inspiration in the biblical description of the “woman of valor,” which paints a picture of a capable, entrepreneurial, and multifaceted woman managing all aspects of her household, from finances and planning for the future to caring for her family. This broad definition, when freed of manipulation or distortion, resonates deeply. It mirrors the strength I witnessed in my own mother, a single parent who seamlessly transitioned between her career and the myriad tasks required to maintain our home.

By embracing this more comprehensive view, we can counter the narrow, and at times unhealthy, factions that seek to define homemaking in rigid, exclusionary terms. We must not let those with a limited worldview dictate the meaning of this powerful role. We get to decide what it means for us. We get to be the face of a new kind of homemaker: one who is ambitious, intelligent, and unapologetic about the value they place on creating a life and a home of intentional luxury and profound purpose.

Let us not shy away from this word, but rather, let us infuse it with new meaning. Let us elevate the art of homemaking to its rightful place as a cornerstone of a well-lived, refined life.

I invite you to join this conversation. What does the word “homemaker” mean to you? Share your thoughts with me on Substack.