Expertise

“Le Ménagier de Paris” (14th century), for example, is a French manual that instructed women on home management, cooking, and moral behavior. “The Book of the Knight of the Tower” (14th century), written by Geoffroy de La Tour Landry, offered advice on proper behavior for noblewomen. “How the Good Wife Taught Her Daughter” (15th century) was an English didactic poem that instructed young girls on domestic and moral virtues. These texts emphasized submission, chastity, and domestic skills as feminine ideals.

During the Franco era in Spain, several manuals were published aimed at indoctrinating women in traditional values and their role as homemakers. Some of the most notable were “Economía doméstica para Bachillerato y Magisterio” (1968) by the Women’s Section, which was compulsory in female education and taught young women how to be good wives and mothers, emphasizing submission to the husband, and the “Guía de la buena esposa” (1953), which included advice such as “Have dinner ready” and “Be the wife he always dreamed of.” The Women’s Section (Sección Femenina) was a significant organization in Francoist Spain that played a crucial role in shaping women’s lives and promoting the regime’s ideology. Likewise, “Formación Familiar y Social” (1949), also by the Women’s Section, was a textbook used in schools to indoctrinate girls in the values of the regime and emphasized the role of women as mothers and wives. Finally, “La perfecta ama de casa” (1950), by Pilar Comín, offered practical advice on managing the home and caring for the family, reinforcing the idea that a woman’s place was in the house. In contrast to this limited and limiting view, women have consistently demonstrated their capabilities. During the Industrial Revolution, for example, women had been in the spinning and weaving factories, such as those in Bergara in Gipuzkoa. In factories, such as Suchard in San Sebastián, women played crucial roles in production and quality control. In Eibar, women participated in the production of weapons and later in the manufacture of sewing machines. They also played an important political role, for example, during the Telettra strike in 1976, which demonstrated the presence and activism of women in this sector, and they were pioneers as telephone operators from the beginning of the 20th century. The contemporary “tradwife” movement represents a return to traditional domestic ideals. It emerged in the 2010s as a reaction to modern feminism and promotes women dedicating themselves exclusively to the home and family, subordinating themselves to their husbands. It uses social platforms to spread its message, idealizing a nostalgic version of 1950s domestic life. However, it is criticized for promoting patriarchal values and denying advances in women’s rights. This movement stands in stark contrast to the historical reality of female participation in industry and the struggle for labor rights. The tension between traditional roles and female labor participation reflects broader societal debates about gender, work, and family that continue today.