From invisible segregation to the visible heart: what 100 years of kitchens can tell us about domestic labour

Mon, 8 Apr 2024 12:46:09 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/from-invisible-segregation-to-the-visible-heart-what-100-years-of-kitchens-can-tell-us-about-domestic-labour-220661>

"Long before COVID shone a spotlight on working from home, the realms of home
and work have always been blurred – particularly for women as “housewives”,
working mothers and caregivers, and those employed as servants or “home help”.

Historic Australian houses with conserved kitchens and associated service and
servant rooms are an evocative source to turn to to experience places of
domestic labour.

I recently visited four historic houses in Victoria that are open to the public
to get a better understanding of these women who worked from home.

Spanning the mid-19th century to the early 1950s, these houses tell us much
about the history of paid and unpaid domestic work, overwhelmingly carried out
by women. They vividly show how home work shifts from being totally segregated
and seemingly invisible towards becoming the visible heart of the modern
house."

The historic houses are well worth a visit, incidentally.

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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