The Entrepreneurial Wife: Neoliberal Paradoxes and Culture Wars in the Latin American Tradwife Phenomenon

Abstract

The phenomenon of tradwives, or traditional wives, has emerged in the global north following #MeToo and the pandemic, driven by social media. In the global north, this trend is associated with neoconservative, right-wing, and anti-gender movements. Its most well-known representatives have amassed millions of followers on social media. This article investigates the expressions of this phenomenon in Latin America, based on a netnographic analysis of the content and comments of three Spanish-speaking influencers, it examines how the tradwife phenomenon in the region—although marginal—reveals a profound paradox: it is articulated through the neoliberal logic of individual entrepreneurship and “free choice” to promote an apparent escape from the pressures of the neoliberal system itself. The analysis shows that this ideal clashes with local socioeconomic realities, manifesting as an unsustainable fantasy but a powerful vehicle for right-wing metapolitics.