The Pastoralization Of Housework, By Jeanne Boydston

“The Pastoralization of Housework,” by Jeanne Boydston, discusses how housework's economic worth and significance was minimized in antebellum America. “The Pastoralization of Housework” distinguishes that paid labor began to be identified as “manly” work synonymous with the ideas of productivity, efficiency, and economic growth. At the same time, household work, which was historically carried out by women, was undervalued and painted as unimportant, unproductive, and unhelpful to the economy. The devaluation of household labor was a purposeful attack to distinguish what a highly patriarchal society considered productive and non-productive. Thus, constructing separate spheres for the sexes, with men belonging to the public sphere (productive)

The success of the economy and society at large depended on women’s completion of all these tasks in the private sphere. I agree with Boydston that housework has generally been devalued historically, and I feel it is just as vital as paid labor outside the home. Housework is critical to the welfare of the family and community, through their work women ensure that they create a happy, clean, safe, and healthy environment. Additionally, housework was a crucial facet of the pre-industrial economy, it benefited the family's material well-being and served to support the community. Domestic labor at that time created a foundation for the rise of industrialization in America however with the shift they did not receive recognition and their efforts were devalued. Furthermore, the domestic job of raising children is one of the most labor-intensive jobs assigned only to women. This task was one of the most beneficial jobs women had within the home, mothers are teaching children social standards and raising the next generation. The way a mother raises a child lays the foundation for how they will behave in the community as