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Book Cover for: More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave, Ruth Schwartz Cowan

More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave

Ruth Schwartz Cowan

Paperback
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In this classic work of women's history (winner of the 1984 Dexter Prize from the Society for the History of Technology), Ruth Schwartz Cowan shows how and why modern women devote as much time to housework as did their colonial sisters. In lively and provocative prose, Cowan explains how the modern conveniences--washing machines, white flour, vacuums, commercial cotton--seemed at first to offer working-class women middle-class standards of comfort. Over time, however, it became clear that these gadgets and gizmos mainly replaced work previously conducted by men, children, and servants. Instead of living lives of leisure, middle-class women found themselves struggling to keep up with ever higher standards of cleanliness.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Basic Books
  • Publish Date: Mar 11st, 1985
  • Pages: 288
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.04in - 6.16in - 0.65in - 0.89lb
  • EAN: 9780465047321
  • Categories: • General• Women's Studies

About the Author

Ruth Schwartz Cowan is associate professor of history at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

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What people are saying

Mentioner image for: Chris Bertram
Chris Bertram
@crookedfootball
2 years

Author of Do States Have the Right to Exclude Immigrants? Professor emeritus at Bristol. He/him. Also @crookedfootball@mstdn.social

@KarenRothkin Just the thought that those put onus on the customer to walk up and down what is essentially a warehouse. @JohnQuiggin mentioned Ruth Schwartz Cowan's More Work for Mother and suggested return of home delivery means reduction in one form of "shadow work": driving to the shops

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Mentioner image for: @rachelcoldicutt@assemblag.es
@rachelcoldicutt@assemblag.es
@rachelcoldicutt
3 years

Exploring careful innovation, community tech and networked care @carefultrouble. Also a NED and trustee. She/her.

@intrcnnctd @genmon In case you haven’t read it, Ruth Schwartz Cowan’s More Work for Mother is vg on the historical context of why and how those choices get made https://t.co/p6RkcCrGo5

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Mentioner image for: Daniel Griffin
Daniel Griffin
@danielsgriffin
2 years

Sharing provocations, humility, & searching. PhD @BerkeleyISchool. Studying "search" articulations, reliance, complaints, surveillance, & reimaginings. He/him.

Inspiration: Cowan's "More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave" (1983), from Basic Books. https://t.co/dpY1ueDIiv [cowan1983more]

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What people are saying

Mentioner image for: Chris Bertram
Chris Bertram
@crookedfootball
2 years

Author of Do States Have the Right to Exclude Immigrants? Professor emeritus at Bristol. He/him. Also @crookedfootball@mstdn.social

@KarenRothkin Just the thought that those put onus on the customer to walk up and down what is essentially a warehouse. @JohnQuiggin mentioned Ruth Schwartz Cowan's More Work for Mother and suggested return of home delivery means reduction in one form of "shadow work": driving to the shops

twitter.com
Mentioner image for: @rachelcoldicutt@assemblag.es
@rachelcoldicutt@assemblag.es
@rachelcoldicutt
3 years

Exploring careful innovation, community tech and networked care @carefultrouble. Also a NED and trustee. She/her.

@intrcnnctd @genmon In case you haven’t read it, Ruth Schwartz Cowan’s More Work for Mother is vg on the historical context of why and how those choices get made https://t.co/p6RkcCrGo5

twitter.com
See more