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Also, for families, that was eight hours of paid work from one parent, not both...

• ben_w 2y ago
  In 1888, the mothers and any kids old enough to help had essentially full-time jobs with the housework. And mandatory education stopped much younger than today, IIRC from 10 to 14 depending on the country (assuming they had mandatory education at all, which some didn't), so they had more time than you may expect for helping with the household. There were mechanical washing machines and vaccum cleaners back then, even before electricity, but even that was all harder work than now.
  • TeMPOraL 2y ago
    There was a magic period of time after electric-powered washing machines became ubiquitous, but before the market adjusted to women entering the labor force, when you could sustain a home on a single income, and women (and then men, too!) actually had a choice between staying at home to care for house & kids, and having a career. Alas, now the choice is gone, and everyone has to have a job. Sucks for the kids, as now both parents need to go to work, whether they want it or not.
  • BehindBlueEyes 2y ago
    The work was harder but people also didn't wash their shirts after wearing it a single day/time. Machines increased expectations, resulting in workload to remain comparable, since more of it needs doing.