The Conservative Use of Modern Household Technology

Modern technology is pervasive in everyday life in North America. Any doubts about its importance in giving qualities of immediacy, flexibility, and physical comfort to contemporary life are quickly stilled by spending even a weekend in a country house which lacks electricity and running water. However, obvious as the impact of modern household technology is on ordinary activities pertinent to cooking, cleaning, controlling the environment, and personal hygiene, its sociological impact is more difficult to assess. The popular notion is that modern appliances save time and that this saving of time has caused the increased participation of women in the labor force, diminished the importance of chores for children, and played a major role in the great reduction in the number of household servants. Any possible impact on the division of labor between husbands and wives is not often mentioned. The forms of the