Many people just don't realize how much a housewife does these days. She manages the home, which is a full time job! Cooking, cleaning, caring for the children, shopping, etc.
Yes I can imagine! There is so much work involved with a house and having kids.
Now these days, many call a housewife a stay-at-home-mother SAHM, and the stay at home dads are called SAHD. Which wasn't very popular until the last 10 years or so, for dads to stay home.
Yes, it is a new thing with more woman working. It's a lot of work to stay home thought. I think I would get tired of it.
Yes, I guess it depends on each woman. Many feminists believe that it is ignored in the formulations of economic output, like the GDP, and believe it shouldn't be.