On Housecraft

"I like my home, and I like it when it's clean and tidy, but I don't like cleaning or tidying, and I'm not inclined to read about it. I love to bake, to fill a vase with flowers, peg out washing with bare feet in summertime; but I'm more likely to make the bathroom "less dirty" than "properly clean" or the living room "less messy", than "actually tidy", and I'm sure I'm not alone."

"In the affluent culture that is Hayward's context, and mine, we are more likely to boast about how little housework we do, even how poorly, than about how much we do, or how well. Even when domestic duties include some of the most important work a human can do - raising another human - we argue for our right to outsource it."

"Even when domestic duties include some of the most important work a human can do - raising another human - we argue for our right to outsource it. Perhaps, if stereotypes and power imbalances hadn't dictated who was responsible for unpaid work, and who was not, for quite so long, we'd see it in a different light. But imbalances persist."

Housekeeping and domestic labor are commonly dismissed as unworthy or not pleasurable within affluent cultures. Visible domestic tasks and attire can attract judgement, and people often boast about doing little or poor-quality housework. Domestic duties encompass vital responsibilities, including childrearing, yet there is a strong tendency to outsource these tasks. Stereotypes and entrenched power imbalances continue to determine who performs unpaid work, reinforcing gendered divisions of labor. Persistent imbalances make it easier for some to avoid domestic responsibilities, leaving others—disproportionately women—to shoulder the burden.

Read at The Philosopher