Together, 家庭 (jiātíng) means “household,” and 主妇 (zhǔfù) means “mistress of the house.” So, 家庭主妇 (jiātíngzhǔfù) is the “master of the household,” clearly defining her domain as the home.
The concept of the 家庭主妇 is deeply rooted in the traditional Chinese social structure, best summarized by the idiom 男主外，女主内 (nán zhǔ wài, nǚ zhǔ nèi), meaning “the man manages external affairs, and the woman manages internal (household) affairs.” This ideal created a clear, complementary division of labor within the family, where a woman's success was measured by her ability to be a 贤妻良母 (xián qī liáng mǔ) - a “virtuous wife and good mother.” While the Western concept of a “housewife” shares the same basic duties, its cultural trajectory is different. In the West, the “housewife” ideal of the 1950s was later challenged by second-wave feminism, leading to a strong emphasis on women's careers and financial independence. In China, after decades where women were encouraged to join the workforce under Maoist ideology (“women hold up half the sky”), the re-emergence of the 家庭主妇 as a lifestyle choice is a more recent phenomenon tied to the nation's economic boom. For some, it symbolizes newfound wealth and a return to traditional values, while for others, it raises concerns about gender equality and a woman's loss of personal identity.
In modern China, the term 家庭主妇 is widely understood but carries mixed connotations.
A more modern and often preferred term is 全职妈妈 (quánzhí māmā), or “full-time mom.” This term frames the role as a “full-time job,” emphasizing the labor and importance of raising children, which many find more empowering.