# Poll: "At-Home Mom?" "Stay-At-Home Mom?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211 "2003-09-12T15:13:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/1 "2003-09-12T15:13:49Z")
Housewife? Homemaker? Little Woman? The magazine where I work is torn as to what term to use. In many of our articles, we _have to_ refer to all of the interview subjects in some way, and the ones with outside careers are captioned, “personnel VP,” or “makeup artist,” or “chef,” or whatever. But how do we refer to the women who stay at home and take care of the kids, w/o being insulting, coyly p.c. or condescending? What is the preferred phrase these days? [Note: wise-ass answers are always welcome, of course, but this is an actual question which I have to bring up with my editors for the next issue!] Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/2 "2003-09-12T15:14:41Z")
Stay at Home Mom. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/3 "2003-09-12T15:21:18Z")
A second vote for “stay-at-home mom”; it seems to be what most of them call themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/4 "2003-09-12T15:22:44Z")
Hm. I agree with **Shirley**. “Housewife” just won’t fly anymore. In the paper I work for, we can get by using “community member,” but we have a limited readership. There really aren’t a lot of choices with this one, **Eve**. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/5 "2003-09-12T15:24:18Z")
I’d go for stay at home mom, too. I don’t think it’s condecending, it just describes the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/6 "2003-09-12T16:21:42Z")
Stay-at-home mom. It’s basically value-neutral. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/7 "2003-09-12T16:41:46Z")
I don’t think SAHM is condescending but work-at-home-mom might work too. Staying home with the kids is work, even if women don’t get a paycheck for it. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/8 "2003-09-12T16:45:17Z")
Domestic Engineer sounds a bit pretentious, so I’ll go with “Stay at home mom.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/9 "2003-09-12T16:49:47Z")
Is it only moms who will be interviewed? There may well be a stay at home dad in the mix otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/10 "2003-09-12T16:51:18Z")
Tax-avoiding informal market non-arm’s-length service provider. More acceptably: home producer. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/11 "2003-09-12T17:33:08Z")
Since I’ve been at home on and off for the last 13 years, I tend to put my profession as “Homemaker”. Could it be in the construction biz? Sure. But it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![sperfur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9adbd/32.png) [@sperfur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sperfur)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/12 "2003-09-12T17:41:36Z")
I like work-at-home-mom. Maybe a little over the top PC-wise, but I think it sounds respectful. Good one, **SnoopyFan**. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/13 "2003-09-12T17:49:39Z")
Thanks, all—I will print this out next week and present it to my editors. I think “work-at-home mom” might imply a home business, like freelance editing or making tchotchkas . . . And “homemaker” would get us raked over the coals for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/14 "2003-09-12T17:52:54Z")
I dunno about work from home mom. I work from home, on occasion, but for a big company. I could see that label being confusing considering that many people have home offices. ---
**Author:** ![jellen92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@jellen92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellen92)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/15 "2003-09-12T18:01:13Z")
Domestic Goddess Full-Time Mom (my friend uses this term to describe herself) ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/16 "2003-09-12T18:12:23Z")
I was going to suggest full-time mom too, as I see a lot of women write that on applications at my job. But I’ve heard other women be offended by that as well, saying that it implies anyone who has a job outside of the house is only a part-time mom. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/17 "2003-09-12T18:19:42Z")
How about this one: Parent? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/18 "2003-09-12T18:26:24Z")
Can’t use “parent,” as that implies that mothers who work nine-to-five _aren’t_ parents. Same reason, as **Elret** says, we can’t use “full-time mom,” as that would piss-off working mothers. We can’t win for losin’ . . . All we can hope to do is offend as _few_ people as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/19 "2003-09-12T18:34:33Z")
The parenting website I work at uses stay-at-home mom and working mom. ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211/20 "2003-09-12T18:36:27Z")
I also prefer Full-time Mom. Not that being a working mom is really part time, to me, it just indicates that I choose to stay home without the thought of sitting on my ass eating chocolate all day. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-at-home-mom-stay-at-home-mom/201211.md?page=2)