YouTube

Washer woman by Erin Braid

2026-05-22 · 15:00 UTC ·Works in Progress ·0 min read

Brief

Erin Braid's narrated essay (video published 2026-05-22 on Works in Progress) traces how household labor fell from 34 weekly hours in 1965 to 18 in 2010, arguing the dishwasher was a major technological factor. The short presentation (read by Stuart Ritchie, music by David Hackett) accompanies images and graphs available on the article page.

Why it matters

In 1965 married American women averaged 34 hours of housework per week; by 2010 that fell to 18 hours.

Key details

  • The dishwasher is identified as a significant contributor to this decline; the piece is by Erin Braid (read by Stuart Ritchie) and includes images and graphs at worksinprogress.co.
Source evidence

In 1965, married American women did 34 hours of housework weekly. By 2010, that had fallen to 18 hours. The dishwasher wasn’t the only cause, but it certainly helped. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/inventing-the-dishwasher/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Erin Braid
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Channel: Works in Progress
Published: 2026-05-22
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfKebx5asp0