Die Erfindung der Hausfrau - Geschichte einer Entwertung

Children, kitchen, and career? - About division of labor, role models, and tilted power dynamics. "That little bit of household work" - this incredibly exhausting and thankless task still drives many women to their last nerve today. Whether they are employed or "just" housewives (and mothers). But under what economic and social conditions could such a role model even establish itself, one that not only pushed women into financial dependency but also exposed them to enormous psychological burdens? Evke Rulffes traces the historical development of the housewife and shows where these old conditions can still be found today, despite all the political efforts for equal coexistence, how they shape and influence us: Why do especially mothers feel that they must do everything alone? Why is it uncomfortable for them to organize help? And why does the organization of help usually fall to them? The author points out, with solid evidence and enlightening insights, the historical reasons for our gender gap and what the invention of the housewife has to do with the mother's guilty conscience. Because "that little bit of household work" is not without reason... A plea for more justice and appreciation of care and household work. "Evke Rulffes shows in her book 'The Invention of the Housewife' the missing awareness for an indispensable work - and provides amusing insights into the everyday tricks of the 18th century." Marlene Knoblock, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 18.10.2021.