My husband and I went to a local diner that has a vintage theme. We found this 1913 book on a shelf and took turns flipping through it. It made very interesting (and depressing) reading. The author had two children and keeping her house and looking after her children was more than a full time job. It was heavy work and she found that if she spent time cooking, she fell behind on cleaning and vice versa. My husband and I were discussing what made the big difference between then and now. All Swedish women work. In my 26 years in Sweden I have never met a housewife. I am sure they exist here and there, but they are very much an exception to the rule.
We came to the conclusion that affordable daycare makes a huge difference. As do household appliances, particularly automatic washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and microwave ovens. The author spent a lot of time preparing food, sewing and doing heavy cleaning. These were the items she considered labour savers:
Washing clothes with a washboard, beating carpets, and preparing food must have taken forever. The author also mentioned washing 48 pieces of china after the evening meal. That is a lot. Maybe she set a full service for dinner.
The above photos came from this excerpt from her book, which had been published in a magazine.
Women started entering the workforce during the world wars, when the men were out fighting, and after that it became more usual for women to work. Women still do most of the unpaid labour at home, and still earn less than men. Women bear the mental load of organising the household and family, and women suffer burnout more than men. I wonder if we can really have it all?
My mother was a housewife, and she was very lonely all day. She was incredibly house-proud and worked hard at maintaining her home. But I think she would have been happier if she had had a job. I have never been very domesticated and have always dedicated myself to my work. I often wonder if that was a reaction against my mother’s life.
Affordable childcare is crucial!
It is indeed!
I have never expected a woman to do ALL the housework, after all, if we live together 50% (at least) is mine so I try to do my share. I have been with one woman who refused to let me do more than wash dishes, dry them and put them away even though we both worked. I have always believed that a woman and a man doing the same job should receive the same pay for their labours. I was brought up by a woman who spent 6 days a week at home and one day working for an employer, she worked in a (now old-fashioned) grocery store and the queue would ask for items and she would bring them to the front, take the money, wrap and hand the items over with their change. No shop-lifting possible.