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Radio Atlantic

The Tragedy of the Tradwife

Radio Atlantic

The Atlantic

News, Society & Culture, Politics

4.3 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The author Caro Claire Burke discusses her debut novel, Yesteryear, about a tradwife influencer suddenly transported back to 1855 and faced with the harsh realities of actual pioneer life. The book is a No. 1 New York Times best seller, and its film rights have already been sold and Anne Hathaway is attached to star.  Seen one way, the tradwife is just a social-media trend, sometimes soothing to watch, sometimes infuriating. But the fantasy that fuels the phenomenon—that women should be subservient to their husbands, staying at home and tending the hearth—reflects views in the real world, where actual policies get made. Burke talks about her novel and her own political evolution. - - - Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at ⁠TheAtlantic.com/Listener⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Join me, Grant Hill, for a deeper look at what it means to be a thought leader today.

0:05.1

Watch The Drive to Lead, a new series from Range Rover and Atlantic Rethink at theatlantic.com slash drive-to-lead.

0:14.8

Some follow the noise.

0:17.3

Bloomberg follows the money.

0:19.5

Because behind every headline is a bottom line.

0:23.3

Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings,

0:27.9

there's a money side to every story.

0:30.4

And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss.

0:34.8

Get the money side of the story.

0:37.0

Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.

0:43.3

Every once in a while, but not all that often, a work of fiction steps into the cultural

0:53.2

debate at just the right moment and in just the right way.

0:57.0

How would you define a trad wife?

1:00.0

Well, I guess the simplest definition is a traditional wife.

1:04.0

I think it's someone who adheres to norms that we understand as traditional, so subservience,

1:10.0

taking care of children, staying within the home,

1:12.4

you know, obeying your husband.

1:13.9

Why are we telling women, even starting out as young girls, that they need to have a life

1:20.5

of independence?

1:21.8

But then there's, of course, the Trad Wife Influencer, who is someone who performs those ideas

1:26.2

online, mostly for money.

1:28.0

When my husband woke up with a case of the sniffles and it tangled in the back of his throat,

...

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