Water-The piping of water into the home through tap water and hot water heaters relieved the burden of fetching water from outside. Gone is the egg man, the bread man, and the dairy man who brought necessities to the door at regular intervals.
In the 20th century, industry shifted the burden of delivery to the household, and that usually meant the lady of the family. Transportation-The invention of the car created a lot of work for mother. Overall, industrialization and professionalization decreased the work of the mother in these three areas. This was a net decrease in work for women in the home. Many of these tasks were shifted out of the home onto hospitals, professional nurses, and funeral homes. Health Care-Before the changes in this industry in the 20th century, women nursed the sick prepared medicines and may have grown their own medicinal plants and took care of the dead. Food processing has saved time and increased quantity and variety but decreased quality.įood-The rise of the food processing industry created a net decrease in the amount of work performed by women in the home, although as we are constantly lamenting, easy-to-prepare food on the table has increased on the table, but quality has decreased.Ĭlothing-The mass production of clothing shifted time spent making clothes to time spent shopping for them, but there was a net decrease in the amount of time women had to spend to clothe their family. Grow and can your own-not any more for most households. Surveyed are the systems for food, clothing, health care, transportation, water, and energy utilities. In surveying the changes in household work in the 20th century, Schwartz examines six technological systems and shows whether the woman of the house enjoyed a net decrease in work as a result of these advances. Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Hearth to the Microwave by Ruth Cowan Schwartz.
This is the sixth installment of a report on More
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