What Does It Mean To Be A Homemaker?

July 21, 2025

I would classify myself as a homemaker. I am a wife and stay at home mom. I do a majority of the cooking, cleaning, organizing and decorating, and I set the tone and atmosphere of our home. The home is my domain, and I truly have a passion for making my house into a home. It has always been a desire of mine to be a wife and mom, and after dropping out of college due to not wanting to be a career woman, I leaned into my desire to one day be a homemaker. While dating and engaged to my now husband, I began learning skills that would benefit me in the long run such as cooking, baking, sewing, and crafting. Once married, I began living out what I had visualized and practiced, and the learning hasn’t stopped since. There are truly so many facets of homemaking, and I believe that’s what makes it such an enjoyable work. And it’s just plain true that a God-fearing, hardworking, skilled homemaker is a priceless gem to her family and those around her. And that’s the woman I am striving to be. So let’s get into what it even means to be a homemaker!

When you look up the term homemaker, you get a slew of responses. Oxford Dictionaries defines homemaker as, “a person who spends their time looking after a home and doing housework rather than being employed outside the home”. Cambridge Dictionary’s definition is “a person who manages a home and often raises children instead of earning money from a job”. I have a Webster dictionary that I thrifted from 1988, and its definition of homemaker reads, “a person who manages a home; esp. a housewife”. After doing some more research, it appears as though the term homemaker originated in the late 1800s, rose in popularity in the early 1900s with the home-ec movement, and began declining in the 1960s when women began entering the workforce. People feel very differently about the term as well. You hear women proud to carry the title of homemaker (myself included), and then you hear others, mainly feminists, who believe the term to be outdated and derogatory. I feel like the term housewife is more controversial in today’s society, but for me either title, homemaker or housewife, are ones I’m proud to bear.

Both modern definitions I mentioned include something about not being employed or earning money, like it’s an either/or thing. I believe that whether working a job or at home full time, every woman is called and capable of making and keeping her home (although of course you will have more time if you are not working a job). It is a biblical calling as well. Titus 2:3-5 is one of my favorite passages and it says, “3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Other translations say “good managers of the home” or “homemakers” as well. And of course there is Proverbs 31:27 that paints the picture of a virtuous woman who “ looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” The Word of God is not lacking in urging women to manage their homes well and designating her as the primary caretaker of her domain. 

So what all does being a homemaker entail? Simply put, you must manage your home well. This looks slightly different for each family, but as women we must “looketh well to the ways of our household” and assume our responsibility to create a home that is warm and inviting, safe and clean, and nourishing to the body and spirit. Household tasks include, but are not limited to: preparing meals, washing and folding laundry, dusting and vacuuming, organizing and decluttering, gardening, sewing and mending, restocking, and running errands. There is also the invaluable and rewarding work of raising and training children, rooting yourself in God’s Word, showing hospitality to others, praying over your household, and creating an atmosphere of love and warmth. For some women, all of the routine activities of maintaining a home come very naturally, and for others it takes more diligence, self control, and discipline. But homemaking can truly become a joy-filled work, and you can be certain that you’re not laboring in vain. 

As Proverbs 31:27-31 says:

27 “She watches over the affairs of her household

    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;

    her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women do noble things,

    but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,

    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I am a firm believer that homemaking is a life’s work and you are never done learning, growing, or mastering the art. I am not where I want to be in 5, 10, or 50 years, and you probably aren't either. That’s why we cannot be idle or complacent. There are always new skills, recipes, hobbies, virtues, and practices that we can all work on and grow in. That is why I named this blog “Growing As A Homemaker” and strive to live out that statement, because I want to continue learning and pursuing all the aspects of what it means to be a homemaker. 

I hope you’ll come along with me in my journey and pursuit of the calling of every woman to care for and manage her household well. I am glad you’re here, friend!