The Home Stretch
Why the Gender Revolution Stalled at the Kitchen Sink
Published on 5. March 2020
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-78649-757-4 (ISBN)
Description
Forty years of feminism and still women do the majority of the housework. Why?
In fact, while women are making slow but steady gains on gender disparities in the workplace, at home the gap is widening - in the UK, the average heterosexual British woman puts in 12 more days of household labour per year than her male companion, while young American men are now twice as likely as their fathers to think a woman's place is in the home. And when 'having it all' so often means hiring a nanny or cleaner, is it something to aspire to?
Sally Howard joins up with a cohort of feminist separatists, undertakes a day's shift with her Lithuanian cleaner, lives in a futuristic model home designed to anticipate our needs and meets latte papas and one-percent parents in this lively examination which combines history and fieldwork with her personal story.
The Home Stretch is a fascinating investigation into how we got here and what the future could look like for feminism's final frontier: the domestic labour gap.
In fact, while women are making slow but steady gains on gender disparities in the workplace, at home the gap is widening - in the UK, the average heterosexual British woman puts in 12 more days of household labour per year than her male companion, while young American men are now twice as likely as their fathers to think a woman's place is in the home. And when 'having it all' so often means hiring a nanny or cleaner, is it something to aspire to?
Sally Howard joins up with a cohort of feminist separatists, undertakes a day's shift with her Lithuanian cleaner, lives in a futuristic model home designed to anticipate our needs and meets latte papas and one-percent parents in this lively examination which combines history and fieldwork with her personal story.
The Home Stretch is a fascinating investigation into how we got here and what the future could look like for feminism's final frontier: the domestic labour gap.
Reviews / Votes
An impassioned and compelling case for why housework is fundamental...the kind of book you'll want to pass between friends. * New Statesman * A funny, enraging look at feminism's toughest battle. -- Helen Lewis, author of DIFFICULT WOMEN [P]ersonal experience warms a narrative that braids history with sharp reportage, managing to feel invigorating even if the truths it conveys are profoundly frustrating. -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer * An astute, sharp-edged and frequently witty analysis of gender inequalities in childcare and other forms of domestic labor...Expertly blending careful research and frank personal reflections, this call for change rings true. * Publishers Weekly *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 144 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
526 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78649-757-4 (9781786497574)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2020
Atlantic Books
€8.49
Available for download
Person
Sally Howard is a journalist specializing in gender, human rights and social trends. She is a regular contributor to Marie Claire (UK and US), the Sunday Telegraph's Stella magazine, the British Medical Journal, BBC Radio Four's From Our Own Correspondent and US feminist newsstand glossy Ms. magazine. Her first book, The Kama Sutra Diaries, was one of the Scotsman's Travel Books of the Year for 2014. She is one of the co-authors of the Sunday Times Travel magazine's coffee table book, 20 Amazing Places. She lives in London.
Content
1: Coming Clean 2: Battles on the Home Front, a Recent History 3: Paint it Pink and Blue: Naturalizing Gendered Chores 4: The Mother of All Reality Checks (aka the Parent Labour Trap) 5: The Domestic Backlash 6: Power, Money, Willingness to Mop 7: The Outsourced Wife 8: Mrs Robot 9: Marketing Yummy Mummy (or The New Sexed Sell) 10: A Case for the Commons (and Why Separatists Still Struggle with Who Scrubs the Loo) 11: Don't Iron While the Strike is Hot! Conclusion: Home Truths