Lara Trump and Katie Miller Cite Junk Poll About Gen-Z Tradwives
In the culture war, no survey is too sketchy and no generalization too broad.
On Sunday, Lara Trump declared that the era of the "girlboss"—the career-oriented woman—is over, and the era of the traditional wife and mother, a.k.a. the "tradwife," has begun.
Citing a survey that found that 47 percent of young women consider the "tradwife" path to be their dream life while only 23 percent strive for the "girlboss dream," Trump claimed victory over the "feminist movement that tried to push and tell us that we should all just kind of put aside wanting to start a family." This shift, she told her Fox & Friends audience, is not "about locking women up in the home…it is about a focus on returning to family. And those of us with families of our own know…it doesn't matter what I do the rest of my life, the most powerful title I will ever have is the title of mom."
Other conservative influencers shared the poll, including Katie Miller, a podcaster and the wife of White House policy adviser Stephen Miller. In an X post that garnered 1.3 million views and over 5,000 likes, Katie Miller wrote that "Gen Z women are officially done chasing the 'girlboss' grind….The biggest lie women were told is that success comes from the workplace. Success is expanding humanity for its survival."
Gen Z women are officially done chasing the "girlboss" grind.
A new poll shows 47% of Gen Z aspire to be a tradwife — married, with kids and the husband as the top earner.
Girlboss ranked 2nd, digital nomad 3rd, and a strong 14% aspired to be a trophy wife — the classic MRS…
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) April 4, 2026
But did Trump or Miller ever question the origin of this poll that makes such sweeping generalizations about young women?
The poll was conducted by EduBirdie, a "writing platform" that offers customized essays at a rate of $8 per page. In February, EduBirdie first published its survey results, which found "47% of Gen Z women would prefer a stable future over riches, success, and fame." The word tradwife does not appear in the polling or blog post at all.
The poll does a poor job of illustrating how "traditional" or family-oriented women want to be. Maybe women are choosing the "happily married with kids and a normal job" option because they really want a normal job, and being happily married with kids is a secondary benefit. There is also no option for women who prioritize being happily married and who want a successful career. That kind of respondent would have to pick the "creative" career (with lots of travel and no kids) or settle for the "normal job" option.
The methodology also leaves much to be desired. Nowhere in its study does EduBirdie provide info about the respondents' demographics or the methodology used in the survey, other than claiming it surveyed "2,000 Gen Z women." EduBirdie did not respond to Reason's request for comment on the survey's methodology.
Despite these omissions, EduBirdie repackaged these findings in a March blog post, which, like the original polling, provided no details about methodology or the questions respondents were asked. In this version of the findings, the author describes the four different choices as: "the 'tradwife' path," "the girlboss dream," "the digital nomad," and "the 'trophy wife' route." According to the blog, the "tradwife" just wants "peace and security, without worrying about luxury or status. In a culture that often screams to want more, women seem to want less pressure instead." That blog post was also covered by Vice on March 31 in an article entitled "Gen Z Women Are Obsessed With Becoming Trad Wives."
Even assuming this study was conducted using rigorous methodology and appropriate sample sizes, EduBirdie's own findings do not support the idea that "Gen Z Women Are Obsessed With Becoming Trad Wives." In fact, EduBirdie claims 59 percent of Gen Z women value "achieving professional and financial success" over "finding a partner and starting a family."
The saga illustrates how easy it is to cherry-pick data about the ideal life path. Ultimately, it's up to individuals, not news pundits, to make decisions about having children, getting married, or pursuing certain careers. But if Trump or Miller wants to tell young women to prioritize having families over their careers, they should probably choose a more reliable source than a sketchy "poll" from EduBirdie.
