The ways that we enter into assemblages, or are swept up in them, shape possibilities
of behavior, thought, and language. If we think of the modern home as an
assemblage, we can begin to see how the assumptions of that identity affect men
and women differently, affording particular performances of gendered identity.
In Chapter 3 we introduced Ruth Schwartz Cowan’s classic study, More Work for
Mother, which traces the history of what have been called labor-saving technologies
in the home: electric dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators,
vacuum cleaners, and appliances in general. The purpose of these technologies
was to accomplish strenuous tasks with less effort and time, and make life easier.
Although most of these technologies were developed by men working outside
the home, they affected women in the home. Since the tasks addressed by these
technologies have traditionally been women’s tasks, these technologies impinged
on women much more than on men. What Cowan discovered is that these technologies
actually increased the amount of time women spent laboring in the home.
They did not save labor, time, or effort for these women. Instead, the men’s inventions
placed more demands on women and their work. How did this increase
happen? Many tasks once outsourced to others, such as laundry and ironing, could
now be done—and therefore had to be done—at home. Tasks that once included
children and other family members—in such family efforts as “wash day”—
could now be done by one person, and inevitably that one person was the mother.
Furthermore, these technologies contributed to creating a higher standard of
cleanliness than had been previously appreciated and expected. Because we could
now conveniently and easily launder clothes on a daily basis, the technology contributed
to the notion that we must launder them after every wearing to be considered
clean. Carpet cleaning had once been a communal annual or semi-annual
activity for the family. Carpets were rolled up, hauled outside, and beaten. With
the introduction of the vacuum into the household, the carpet could suddenly be
vacuumed and cleaned more frequently, a fact that contributed to the belief that it
must be vacuumed and cleaned more frequently. Sweeping the floor was no longer
good enough. Now carpet cleaning with a vacuum is a solitary activity that can be
performed far more often, even weekly or daily.
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