More Work for Mother

[Eighty]

I just got done reading this book. More work for mother, by Ruth Cowan.


This book made me speechless, seriously. I'll make a quick summary about the book.

Its about the common misconception that technology advancement will reduce workload. The author used mother as an example, perfect example imo.

Before electronic age, typical mother works all day. There was no vacuum, microwave, instant stove, laundry machine, coffee machine, etc..... That time, mother had to do everything by hands, sweeping, handwashing clothes/dishes, even some mother do some farm works such as milking cow, gathering foods, etc...

Nowadays, typical mothers are still busy all day and why? Its because mother let technology takes care of job while shes doing other job such as taking picking up kids, taking them to soccer game, do shopping more often, etc.


I felt that hes writing a book about my life. I always try to find something that will do my job while I do something else.

 

[Frisky Feline]

i d like to know what you are trying to tell about this mother's duties? i am aware that over years for mothers duties have been changes.

so you agree with this author because?

I want to understand what you are talking about. since im a mom working too.

 

[Eighty]

i d like to know what you are trying to tell about this mother's duties? i am aware that over years for mothers duties have been changes.

so you agree with this author because?

I want to understand what you are talking about. since im a mom working too.

I want to let u know im a father too. I have my duties.

If it wasnt for dishwasher or laundry machine, i wont have time for other lower priority chores. I am trying to say if i decided to replace my duty of handwashing clothes with machine, i will have more time for other chores like grooming yards, or wash my car. So that shows me that it is increasing the numbers of chores. It may make your job easier by reducing workload for single chore, for me it seem my free time is fixitated. No matter how much technology does job for me, my freetime isnt getting any longer.. Maybe its my head playing with me.

So i guess you dont feel same way i do?

 

[Eighty]

If it wasnt for technology, i wouldnt have clean car, groomed dog, nice yards, etc... unless if i was rich and hired someone to do everything for me.

 

[sallylou]

I wrote a philospophy paper about this when the book first came out. It's an interesting book. Since I wrote about it, technology has progressed a lot. Now, I can scan my prescription bottle and pick it up at Walgreens. We have Roomba. Well, not me because I have too much animal hair in my house. lol

 

[shel90]

It is the same with bills..we have more bills than we did in the 40s or 50s due to having cable, cell phones, cars, and so forth so I am not surprised with having more chores despite having technology doing our chores. We keep adding our list of "needs".

 

[sallylou]

True. The more stuff we have the more it weighs us down.

 

[Eighty]

I wrote a philospophy paper about this when the book first came out. It's an interesting book. Since I wrote about it, technology has progressed a lot. Now, I can scan my prescription bottle and pick it up at Walgreens. We have Roomba. Well, not me because I have too much animal hair in my house. lol

What do you mean by scan your prescription bottle and pick it up at walgreens? From my experience, I just bring bottle to pharmacy and get it refilled.

You're right, since book was released the technology has progressed alot. The more I think, I realized that I totally forgot about internet. I think online shopping saves me lot time. Like 99% of the time, Amazon.com has something that I want/need in stock. I can just simply buy things I need with few clicks instead of driving around searching for certain items.

 

[Jiro]

True. The more stuff we have the more it weighs us down.

so throw it out and live a minimalist lifestyle like me

 

[Jiro]

What do you mean by scan your prescription bottle and pick it up at walgreens? From my experience, I just bring bottle to pharmacy and get it refilled.

You're right, since book was released the technology has progressed alot. The more I think, I realized that I totally forgot about internet. I think online shopping saves me lot time. Like 99% of the time, Amazon.com has something that I want/need in stock. I can just simply buy things I need with few clicks instead of driving around searching for certain items.

I've never had to bring my prescription to Walgreen to get it refilled. Why visit twice? That's troublesome and a waste of time.

All I did is simply call them to have it refilled and I pick it up after work.

 

[Audiofuzzy]

It is the same with bills..we have more bills than we did in the 40s or 50s due to having cable, cell phones, cars, and so forth

Exactly! that's what I am saying since the eighties- we now have even less time than ever because now we have work work work
to pay off all this technology!!!!!!!

Fuzzy

 

[Reba]

We usually call in our prescription refills to the automated phone service at the military pharmacies. Then, we pick them up 2-3 days later.

 

[Beach girl]

I just read this opinion piece in the Washington Post yesterday:

The new domesticity: Fun, empowering or a step back for American women? - The Washington Post

It's about how young women today are returning to the skills that were so important to our grandmothers, like canning fruit, knitting, crocheting, even keeping bees and maybe chickens in the backyard. Part of these things no doubt were inspired by environmental concerns (such as worries about what "big agriculture" is putting into the feed for chickens, or what pesticides are going onto fruit), part is creativity and wanting to control what we wear.

The author wonders how many of these things will begin to pass from "pastime" to "obligation" again. Are we returning to the workload of our grandmothers?

As for me - I enjoy crocheting and knitting, don't sew, don't can, don't raise animals for food, do grow vegetables and have taken a stab at fruits (blackberries, blueberries, and figs), but I eat them as they ripen; we don't preserve anything.

What about the rest of you? Do you take pride in some of these old-fashioned skills? Do you think frozen dinners are God's gift to the beleaguered mom trying to feed a family? On a scale of "completely fresh and home-made, starting from scratch" to "completely processed, pop in microwave, heat and serve," where do most of your meals fall?

If you knit, crochet, or sew, do you make essential items for your family, or more luxury items?

 

[rolling7]

Lets just remember that technology and machines can never replace parents raising children.
As the master of fact, both have near destroyed the skill of raising a healthy child.

 

[Beach girl]

Oh, I don't know about that. I agree that technology can separate us as much as unite us (for instance, if the teens come to the dinner table glued to their iPhones). But thank heavens (in my humble abode!) for the ease of preparing dinners using running water, a gas stove, a microwave. My groceries have come from all over the country, and a few things are even imported. I use cookbooks and recipes from all over the world. My 20-year-old pressure cooker was made in Spain.

My vaccuum cleaner was manufactured by a Dutch company. The tile in my bathroom was made in England.

I appreciate a lot of the technology that has made our lives more convenient, richer, and easier. I'm certainly grateful I don't have to go into the forest to chop down wood to make a fire to cook food over the hearth!

You won't find me dissing on technology. My life is far, far better for it, even as compared to my mother's generation, much less my grandmothers' or great-grandmothers'. Those women raised and killed their own chickens, rabbits, and cows. Believe me, I am THRILLED that I don't have to do that.

 

[DeafBadger]

I have an interest in "in-sourcing" food production and preserving. I'm inspired by the example of a friend's parents. They have a huge garden (in a city) and preserve everything. The father hunts deer and fowl and fishes. They preserve that too. They have two or three large freezer chests full of preserved foods that last through the winter and keeps them in good shape year round.

85% of what they eat seems to be sourced from this. On top of this, they are busy real estate investors. Type-A personalities for sure. But they are the healthiest people I've ever seen. I think the reason is because they eat most of their food from fresh sources like the garden.

From what I'm told, their food bill is considerably less than most families because of where they source their food. Of course, they have to make up for it by putting in time. But they've learned to do things efficiently, like canning a simple salsa from tomatoes that can be used for any tomato recipe. Instead of canning several different types of tomato products that take extra set-up time for each. They maximize where they can get the most "bang" for their input of time, and where producing their own saves the most money over buying in the grocery store.

Personally, I'm in awe of what they've accomplished here. When I get a house and some garden space, I'd like to start doing this, too. Mainly because I want to eat healthier, reduce my food bill, and it's an awesome skill to have.

(They are also Mormons, so that might account for their intense focus on, essentially, developing self-sufficiency skills and mad savings skills.)

I don't think I'd bother with hunting, though. I was talking to hunter and asked him if he thought he saved money on sourcing meat from hunting rather than buying in the store. He thought the prices were about the same, or even more for hunted meat, because of gas to drive out to the fields, cost of bullets, etc. I figure buying in the store on sale is good enough, and buying organic or free-range when I can.

I agree with Beach Girl that technology has drastically improved our lives. I don't want to give that up.

These skills directly impact the bottom line for families. It makes it a lot cheaper to source what you need (food, etc), but it takes more time. But with modern tech, I don't think it takes as much time as people think.

It's just a question of where can you source what you need for the cheapest price (in money and time) and at what quality?

 

[mbrek]

This reminded me of an old movie I saw. In it there was a commercial on the radio touting the latest technology (of the 1940's), to "free women from the drudgery of housework". It was probably for a washing machine or something we see as basic nowadays. But in the end, we just replace it with something else - or we go out and get jobs to be fulfilled or add to the household income.

Ah, yes... I feel so "free" now - don't you?

 

[KristinaB]

I am beginning to take more and more of a step back when I can.

For years, I have been sewing. I make toys, clothing and curtains, quilts and place mats and napkins. I have been knitting. I was making toys, clothing and afghans. I tried my hand at canning, but never did well. I bake my own bread and dinner rolls. We will be putting in a garden after we build our house. I will be getting rid of my vacuum and carpet shampooer as we will not have carpeting. We will not have a microwave. I will be getting a clothes line to save on using the dryer. I hand make my own cards for birthdays and holidays. Well, I will get back to it after the construction as all my supplies have been packed for the last 2 years. I will be doing more crockpot meals and using the stove less. I will also be using my grill more often to cut back on electricity. I also hand write "snail mail" letters for all my family members. They don't all answer me, but at least I do write them. With my scrap booking and card making, I recycle from magazines and even from the mail. I use the windows from window envelopes for a lot of things. We have stopped buying so many books and are utilizing our public library more and more. Heck, I am even taking a class at the county library on Wednesday this week. When I pre-registered, I mentioned that I had no hearing and they made a note and We got a video call from the instructor who said that she has all the notes typed up for me and to meet her 10 minutes before class and she will put me in the front so I can also read her lips. She is willing to work with me.

 

[Beach girl]

Oh, that's great! What is the class in?

Speaking of kitchen things: we use our toaster oven MUCH more than the regular oven. In descending order, I'd say we use our stovetop, the toaster oven, the microwave, and the regular oven, in that order. And in the winter, our pressure cooker, at least twice a week.

I had a toaster but it irritated me so much, because I toast English muffins a lot and the carriage thingie never raised it high enough, so I had to get it out with tongs (unplugging the toaster first, of course). Anyway, the toaster oven seems much better and more versatile. We broil fish, steaks, chops, all sorts of things. For a family of two, it's perfect.

I love the way you "take a step back," Kristina. No question you are working hard at all those things, but it must be so satisfying.

 

[Reba]

Oh, that's great! What is the class in?

Speaking of kitchen things: we use our toaster oven MUCH more than the regular oven.

Our stove has two ovens. The top one is small, with just one shelf. The lower one is a much larger convection oven. We use the large one maybe twice a year (like for Thanksgiving). The rest of the time, we use the small one, which is like a glorified built-in toaster oven. It has the features of the full-size oven (timer, light, self-cleaning), with an additional "toasting" setting. For just the two of us, it's perfect.

I had a toaster but it irritated me so much, because I toast English muffins a lot and the carriage thingie never raised it high enough, so I had to get it out with tongs (unplugging the toaster first, of course).

I liked toasted English muffins, so I know what you mean. I have a pair of wooden tongs that I use.