The traditional image of the stay-at-home mother didn’t emerge by chance. It was intentionally created by marketers and industry leaders to meet economic needs during America’s industrial boom.
In this episode of The Work Behind the Work podcast, we uncover how economic forces and deliberate cultural messaging crafted a myth of motherhood that pushed women out of paid work and into the home. This manufactured ideal still shapes workplaces and family expectations today. But what happens when reality doesn’t match the marketing?
Featuring Lisa Selin Davis, author of Housewife, Chris Herbst, professor at Arizona State University, Barbara J. Risman, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago, and journalist Josie Cox, author of Women Money Power: The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality.
Hosted by Melissa Panzer
Produced by Dalton Main, Melissa Panzer, Stephanie Tobey, and Mike Zunic
Written by Stephanie Tobey and Mike Zunic

Listen to Episode Three here.
The Work Behind the Work podcast series is produced by WorkingNation in partnership with WABE Studios.
This podcast series was made possible through funding from Lumina Foundation.



