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I have to mop today AGAIN (thelemmy.club)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/microblogmemes@lemmy.world
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[–] 9 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Yes, back in the day when clothes were washed by vigorously rubbing them against a washboard, and then one-by-one cranking them through a wringer / mangle to dry them. Rugs were cleaned by taking them outside, hanging them on a line, and beating them with a carpet beater. Clothes were expensive, so any time they were damaged it was up to the wife to sew and mend them, and often she'd be sewing new ones too. Bread wasn't something you bought at the supermarket, it was something you made at home using basic ingredients like flour and water. Eggs came from a backyard chicken coop, and the wife had to feed the chickens too. And so on, and so on....

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  • [–] 18 points 4 months ago (4 children)

    The 1950s and 60s had many of our modern conveniences and yet the standard was for 1 adult to handle the household

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  • [–] 10 points 4 months ago

    The 1950s are a really atypical time in history. The US was the victor in a world war, and the only country whose infrastructure didn't get absolutely smashed. Workers still had labour protections won during the great depression. And, full electrification with easily available electrical appliances was brand new.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago (2 children)

    Before that the standard was hired help.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    Restaurants and bakeries have existed for thousands of years. There was plenty of work a household had to do on their own, but plenty has also always been shared by the community at large. As the saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child."

    There were also generally more people in a household historically. And not just children who would be expected to help with the daily chores, but also grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces, etc. The nuclear family is a very recent and largely Western concept born during the 150 years or so.

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