Ehrenreich, Maid to Order

I think Ehrenreich makes some important points about the reordering of the family. With the rise of the maid, the stereotypical, patriarchal definition of the roles of wife and mother are redefined. Ehrenreich states that working parents hire maids to ostensibly have more time to raise the children. But according to Ehrenreich, "parenting" used to mean teaching the children how to perform the household chores. Performing household chores together provided children with a sense of purpose and reinforced a feeling of teamwork. I find this to be true because when I was growing up, I helped my mother with the chores, and as a result of spending so much time together, we became close.

I think we need to think about how patriarchal and capitalistic structures continue to oppress the working classes:but with the rise of the domestic worker, concurrently with the rise of the professional woman, these structures operate within a more subtle framework.