1900 House

[kelley]

>  Just watching her and her daughters doing
> >the wash (12 hours to do a single load!), I wondered
> >how women ever had time to agitate for suffrage and
> >the like.  Check it out if you get the chance...
> >
> >Jim Baird


yer avg family had some form of servants, for one.  the suffragettes were 
from well to do families for another.  and men did significantly more -- 
e.g., men shared in some of the tasks, like bringing in the water.  AND, 
people didn't wear clothes like we wear today which require frequent 
washing.  see Ruth Schwartz Cowan, _More Work for Mother_  in it, Cowan 
explains why survey data reveal that women are spending more time doing 
housework than ever before (that was as of the mid 80s).  part of it is 
because modern household appliance actually make more work because along 
with technological developments come different standards.  e.g., in the 
olden daze, bread was of the quick bread kind or sour dought starter 
bread.  (corn bread, batter breads which don't require kneading and 
elaborate steps).   when the steam mill emerged, we had finely milled white 
flour and the women's magazines (in order to promote purchase) spent 
considerable effort advertising the flour via recipes for yeast breads, as 
well as cakes that required considerably more effort to make.

kelley