Women of the House : Women's Household Work in Ireland, 1926-1961: Discourses, Experiences, Memories Book

Clear (history, National U. of Ireland) blends official records and personal testimonies to demonstrate that rather than leading narrow, optionless lives of ceaseless drudgery and severe subordination as is commonly assumed, women who ran households whole-heartedly embraced modernity in a way that made sense to them and preserved their authority and standing. She shows that the setting, nature, and meaning of household work changed gradually from one decade to the next, and that running a house was a highly skilled job which often conferred status on those doing it. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR