How To Become A Housewife

There are basically two things necessary to become a housewife: the desire to do so and a husband capable of providing a sufficient income to live upon. Now what exactly is a sufficient income, everyone decides for himself, but I think we could find some guidelines as to what to look for. Here again, "Fascinating Womanhood" by Helen Andelin can be helpful. It actually has a chapter entitled "The Provider", where she discusses the concept at length.

After the introduction, where Mrs Andelin states that both Holy Scriptures and tradition teach us that a man has a duty to provide for his family, she goes on to discuss the details of what has become known as the traditional family arrangement, with a breadwinning man and a homemaker wife. In one of the sub-chapters Mrs Andelin quotes from her husband's book "Man Of Steel And Velvet", which I haven't read, on what exactly a man is obliged to provide:

"...the man should provide the necessities. This means food, clothing, and a shelter, plus a few comforts and conveniences...Although a man has a sacred and binding obligation to provide the necessities, he is under no such obligation to provide the luxuries..." (pp. 137-138, ed. of 1992, Bantam Books).

If as a woman you want to be a homemaker it's extremely unwise to marry a man who can't hold down a job.

The wife, on the other hand, has financial responsibilities of her own, which are discussed in the next chapter called "Family Finances". She has to practise thrift and do everything possible to reduce expenses, to cooperate with her husband's plans, and to provide peaceful family life so that the husband can fully concentrate on earning the living.

I'd like to end the post with this quotation: "You can measure your standard of living, not so much by your income as by how well you manage the money." (p.146), which is essentially true.

P.S. Here  you can read some ideas on how to reduce expenses while living on one income, while this article suggests that women should quit their jobs and devote their skills to supporting their husbands' careers, who then, in turn, will be able to earn more money to support the household.