“You’d make a great housewife”.
Those were the words that came out of my coworker’s mouth. For a second I stood there not knowing what to say, stunned into silence. After a few moments of silence, he goes “I’m just joking!” and I forced out a laugh to break the awkward tension between us. We were coworkers, friends in some sense, but not that close. To hear this come out of his mouth was a bit of a shock. To give some context to what I was doing, I worked in the home department of the store, and it was the end of the night. This means I was going up and down the aisles and cleaning them and when I got to the towel aisle, I began refolding them and it was in that moment that he felt the need to say that. So, was it my folding of towels that gave off the housewife vibe? How does folding towels, something that everyone knows how to do and should be doing, equate to being a housewife?
First off, this man obviously does not know his boundaries and is someone who grew up with a lot of privilege in his life. But that does not excuse him making that type of sexist joke. And why is being a housewife a joke? Some people cannot afford to go to work. Their only option is to stay at home and take care of the house and the children. And why do women have to feel ashamed if they WANTED to be a housewife? Why does it have to be something that is considered a lesser job and something that is not to be taken seriously? Just because there is not a monetary value to it, does not lessen the responsibility and the necessity of being a housewife.
Thinking back to this conversation makes me wonder, what was his goal of that comment? Was it to make me feel ashamed, was it some weird way to flirt with me, or did he try to compliment me by saying that? I literally do the same job as him, so what do I do that makes me a good housewife and him not? I hope that this man wakes up from whatever 1950’s daydream he is stuck in and comes into the 21st century.
Unruly Bodies 
Honestly, your coworker was out of line and shouldn’t have made a comment like that since it had bothered you like this. But then again, he might have not been taught to not make comments like that. No filter perhaps? I’m on the same boat as you. Sometimes I find myself cooking something really nice for myself and I hear comments like, “You’ll make a great wife” or “The kitchen seems to be just your kind of space for a woman like you” and it kinda makes me feel, like stomping the patriarchy out of their mouth. Of course, being a housewife is never a bad thing, nor is being a good wife. I think it’s sometimes the way that people might say it that might make us thing it was an ill-attempt. We have every right to call them out if they do make comments like that, so tell him off, girl! I’m pretty sure you’re a real badass and those towels probably looked NEAT.
I honestly can’t stand that kind of behavior with that comment, like, both of you work there. If you hadn’t been the one to be organizing the home department of the store, someone else would have been folding the towels. I also work in retail and it’s just a part of the job working the night shift to be “recovering the sales floor”, not sure if y’all refer to it like that too. I had heard online of this little one-liner you could try in reply to these type of sexist comments is to say, “I don’t get it”, and if they have a hard time explaining, it isn’t a great joke, it’ll make him question how it’s funny. I think it’s hilarious that he’d make a comment like that as your coworker, like, as far as you know, he doesn’t make enough as a retail employee alone to afford to have a stay-at-home wife, and if he has another job or a career outside the store you work at, still wouldn’t be enough if he works there too.
I totally understand how you felt in that moment with your coworker. Literally hearing that when I was younger, I didn’t know how to take it. Younger me always wondered whether that was a compliment or an insult. Even when I use to go to the village in Nigeria, my uncles would always tell me that “You’d make a great housewife”, like it was a compliment or an achievement. Now obviously nothing is wrong with being a housewife at all, and they do have the most important role when it comes to the maintenance of a family, but just that phrase doesn’t resonate with me. However, I do hate that whenever a woman does any type of “domestic duty” she’s automatically placed in the category of housewife. Just because you can fold clothes doesn’t make you domestic, and being placed in that category. It’s just sad that the term “housewife” has been given a negative connotation and is seen as a joke or degrading.
That sounds honestly dehumanizing. I would hate for someone the equate my worth to being a housewife, I am so so sorry you dealt with such a disgusting comment :c
I really am glad you posted about this. Firstly, what a horrid person to make a comment like that and not realize just how rude they are… especially when you literally work the same job. I also appreciate that you mentioned how women shouldn’t feel ashamed if they wanted to be a housewife. They definitely get a bad rep however, I couldn’t do it! Both of my parents work so I’ve only really seen equality when it came to tasks at home. My boyfriend’s mom didn’t work until recently because she raised him and his siblings. To see the stress she is/was under, doing 100% of the things at home was insane!!! Major appreciation for housewives.