Home-working had its advantages, even in the 18th century
And there exist surprising parallels with today
SALLY BROWN, who was born in Vermont in the early 1800s, had a typically varied schedule for a working woman of the time. As her diary shows, one day she is finishing stockings; another she is milking a cow; another she is refining wool. All of her jobs were done from home.
The shift from offices to kitchen tables among white-collar workers in 2020 seems unprecedented, and only possible with Slack and Zoom. But it is nothing new. Indeed, the history of home-working suggests some surprising parallels with today.
This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline "Factories and families"
Christmas Specials December 16th 2020
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- A stand-off in London’s East End in 1911 still echoes today
- Erasmus’s teachings are still pertinent today
- South Korea’s hiking culture reflects its social pressures
- How a little-known Welsh politician helped gay rights in Britain
- Following the tracks of NASA’s Curiosity rover
- Home-working had its advantages, even in the 18th century
- Democracies need to re-learn the art of deception
From the December 16th 2020 edition
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