Why This Matters

Domestic labor has long had obligatory or even slavish connotations. It’s viewed as a mundane duty which interrupts our lives. This is no coincidence, either. The history of domestic labor does, indeed, involve forced obligation upon the lower classes. The first idea of domestic labor comes from ancient Egypt where the duties of cleaning and maintaining an orderly household were relegated to slaves. By the Renaissance period, slavery became less prominent but the duties still mirrored a sort of hierarchical relationship in which poor women were hired as maids. By 1870, 52% of employed women were in domestic and personal service.

After WWI, poor women entered other areas of the workforce instead of domestic labor. This led to a maid shortage, requiring wealthier households to take care of these duties themselves. This was mostly delegated to the woman, cementing the housewife. In 1937, the popular female cartoon character, Betty Boop, sang about her “house cleaning blues,” portraying the common sentiment that domestic labor was a depressing and oppressive chore for women.

This connotation around domestic labor is still strong today. Women are still expected to take care of most domestic labor duties. Wealthier households continue to hire primarily poor immigrant women as maids with little job security.

The “labor” in domestic labor does a lot of the work in maintaining these negative connotations as well. Labor in general is viewed as a drudge which is only done out of necessity. This is particularly problematic when the burden of this work is carried by only one person. Research suggests that women often feel overwhelmed when there’s an unfair division of labor in the household, leading to dissatisfied marriages and even higher chances of divorce.

These negative effects are not inherent to the work itself. Instead, they’re a result of the current perceptions and practices of domestic labor. There’s much room for altering the way that we approach domestic labor that can resolve these important issues.