Norma Foley's tradwives awareness campaign is absurd, says Jennifer O'Connell

Columnist Jennifer O’Connell dismisses Education Minister Norma Foley’s campaign to raise awareness about the ‘tradwife’ movement as absurd and misplaced. O’Connell argues that the minister is focusing on a fringe issue while ignoring more pressing societal pressures that affect women.

Foley’s initiative aims to alert young people to the potential harms of the ‘tradwife’ ideology, which promotes a return to traditional gender roles. However, O’Connell contends that this campaign is a distraction from the real challenges women face. She sarcastically notes that on a list of things pressuring women into domestic roles, the ‘tradwife’ phenomenon, exemplified by figures like Hannah Neeleman and her “bone broth hot cocoa,” would not even rank in the top 50.

O’Connell suggests that the minister’s focus is fundamentally misguided. Instead of tackling the complex issues of economic insecurity, lack of affordable childcare, and systemic gender inequality, the government is choosing to address a niche online trend. This approach, the columnist implies, is an easy way out, avoiding the difficult work of implementing meaningful policy changes that could genuinely support women.

The piece implies that the ‘tradwife’ movement, while perhaps concerning to some, does not represent a significant societal force impacting the majority of women. O’Connell’s critique suggests that Minister Foley’s campaign is more about performative action than substantive policy, failing to address the root causes of gender-based pressures.

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On the list of all the things ‘pressurising women’ into caring roles, Hannah Neeleman and her bone broth hot cocoa are not in the top 50.