No Housework Day is meant to give us a break from housework that never ends. This day is a national day in the USA founded by Thomas and Ruth Roy, the owners of the wellcat website, on April 7 every year. Americans love this day very much, so why not adopt it all over the world? Let's leave the laundry quietly, let the dishes rest in the sink and throw the to-do list in the trash. Keeping a house clean is a Sisyphean job. Once the washing and cleaning is done, everything has to be done again and again and again. This is why we choose a day of the year where we will leave the chores and leave everything for tomorrow.
The history of housework
Surveys conducted in recent years have shown that although the gap is significantly narrowing, women still do the housework 40% more than men. Even today housework is perceived as a mostly female role.
The history of housework and its perception as a female role began when humans moved to permanent settlement in the Neolithic period about 10,000 years ago. This is the beginning of the agricultural period when people began to accumulate property, domesticate animals and grow food on their own. During this period a lot of working hands were needed and on the other hand the birth rate went up and it was necessary for someone to take care of the surviving children and raise them.
From the time of ancient Greece until the 19th century women milked cows on a farm or woven fabrics. Most of the buildings in Greece had a secret center where there was a fireplace controlled by Hestia, the the goddess of the house, the family and the fireplace in Greek mythology, which symbolized that the center of the house is the natural place of the woman.
During the Industrial Revolution that began in the mid-18th century, men began to leave home for paid work and left women at home to do the housework. The perception was that the house was a pure, peaceful and safe place, in contrast to the unclean, unsympathetic and unsafe world of work.
The notion that women could also leave home and integrate into the world of work began in the First World War. Men were drafted into the war and the industrialists called on women to come and fill their place with higher wages than the household wage. By World War II, women of all classes were required to fill the place of men in various industries. When World War ended and millions of men were released into the civilian market, governments tried to push women back into their households. Began to spread the myth of the "happy housewife" and claim that a working woman neglects her children or that she is someone whose husband cannot support her. In the 1960s and 1970s, a wave of feminism began to fight for the return of women to the labor market. By the 1990s, the "new man" had been born, who shared his parental responsibility with his partner and shared in household chores. A man who does not participate in chores is already considered an old-fashioned and chauvinistic person.
Innovation in home appliance technology has increased the efficiency with which work is done, but has also resulted in higher standards of cleanliness. Electric or gas-powered appliances are a unique American innovation that began to emerge a century ago. During this time the washing machine, refrigerator, kettle, iron and sewing machine were invented as families looked for ways to create more free time in their lives. But even though the machines save us a lot of time, the chores still require us to invest time and effort.
What are the benefits of a day without housework?
We work so hard during the day, and when the work day outside ends, we just want to get home, sit on the couch, put our feet on the table and watch our favorite series we fell asleep in the middle of last night. This is exactly the moment we discover the laundry, the dishes in the sink, the dust, the hairs of the dog or cat and the empty fridge screaming at us to leave the dream and come take care of them. So this day is meant to free us from the chores and let us take a break and enjoy what we really love to do - to rest! It is true that it can be done every day, but because it is a special day for it, we are free from feelings of guilt that are created for us when the house is neglected. Another advantage is that housework is boring and it is always fun to take a break from them one day a year, without feeling guilty.
How to celebrate No Housework Day?
Today is the day to enjoy everything you love without spending time on household chores. Watch TV, go out, read a book, spend time on social media, spend time on hobbies and whatever else comes to mind.
