What mama thinks: The 'housewife' returns....but is she welcome

I recently interviewed Stacey Murray of the Sheeps Clothing blog for a piece I did for the Herald Sun newspaper on the rise in popularity of the domestic crafts among women.

I argued in a related opinion piece in the same paper that this was very much about women proudly reclaiming the personal realm, as opposed to earlier incarnations of feminism which roundly rejected the domestic sphere.

As Stacey points out on her blog, the pieces have incited much debate - such as this piece by Adelaide columnist Clementine Ford and heated reaction. It is intriguing as I believe Ford and many of the online comments have misunderstood my argument - that embracing the domestic realm is a sign of moving forward for women - that they finally have the voice to reclaim this space.

Anyway, take a look at what Stacey has to say over at her blog, and by all means, feel free to add your thoughts.

There are also active discussions on this article going on in Adelaide here, in Brisbane here and in Maryland, USA here, and in Oakland County, California, USA here.

What mama thinks: The New Housewife

Here's a link to my column in today's Herald Sun. It's about how domesticity is back and why this is an empowering thing for young women. Did you know that sales of things like sewing machines, fabric, knitting materials and vegie punnets have enjoyed a boom in the last six months. I argue it is partly the economic situation, partly green concerns and partly women proudly taking back and owning the domestic crafts. Take a look.....

www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24857435-5000117,00.html