Femivore?

I read the New York Times' article on The Femivore's Dilemma today, and it very nearly sums up a lot of the philosophy and background (femivores, according to the article, are people who are "feeding their families clean, flavorful food; reducing their carbon footprints; producing sustainably instead of consuming rampantly") that have brought me to life as a homesteader/homemaker/housewife/whatever. Which got me to thinking about my role as a homesteader/homemaker/housewife/whatever...

I was once cautioned by a fellow feminist (and very dear friend) not to devalue myself by referring to myself as a "housewife". I suggested that it is society's perception of housewives, stemming from a generalized devaluing of the work traditionally ascribed to women, that needs to be re-examined and changed. (Much like the divergent evolved connotations of female/male paired terms such as "spinster/bachelor" and "mistress/master", there is nothing inherently inferior in the work of a housewife as compared with a "breadwinner"; the only difference lies with the value that society has associated with each.)

Comparing alternative feminist theories, the author suggests that "Conventional feminist wisdom held that two incomes were necessary to provide a family’s basic needs — not to mention to guard against job loss, catastrophic illness, divorce or the death of a spouse. Femivores suggest that knowing how to feed and clothe yourself regardless of circumstance, to turn paucity into plenty, is an equal — possibly greater — safety net. After all, who is better equipped to weather this economy, the high-earning woman who loses her job or the frugal homemaker who can count her chickens?"

Maybe the whole problem could be solved if I just called myself a "femivore".