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Patterns and Types of Work in the Past: Wageworker and Housewife from a Global Perspective: Birth, Variations and Limits of the Modern Couple

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Work in the Future

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Abstract

The modern gendered wage-earner/housewife model of work was established in Europe during the industrial revolution and replaced the “household economy” model. Previously, work within the home was accorded the status of work, while the newer model no longer defined work in the home as work at all. This model spread beyond Western Europe but has failed to dominate in other areas of the globe. The case studies of nineteenth century Lower Austria and colonial India show that this model has met with and continues to meet with resistance. There have been numerous ways of combining waged work, house and care work; in the future work-life arrangements in the family economy could overcome established gender roles by distributing different types of work in creative ways.

Author of Work: The Last 1000 Years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Economic and Social History, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Andrea Komlosy

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  1. Andrea Komlosy
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Correspondence to Andrea Komlosy .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Global Studies, London, UK

    Robert Skidelsky

  2. Centre for Global Studies, London, UK

    Nan Craig

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Komlosy, A. (2020). Patterns and Types of Work in the Past: Wageworker and Housewife from a Global Perspective: Birth, Variations and Limits of the Modern Couple. In: Skidelsky, R., Craig, N. (eds) Work in the Future. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21134-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21134-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-21133-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-21134-9

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