Introduction
The famous economist Ha Joon Chang, at Cambridge University wrote in his book, “23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism”, that the washing machine has influenced the world more than the internet. We know that the washing machine has been in use since the 1800s. Then, how can we explain that more than two hundred and twenty years later, about five billion women around the world do not have access to a washing machine? Let's explore this exciting topic.
The Washing Machine Jul 15
Listen and follow:
Read the complete topic:
The famous economist Ha Joon Chang, at Cambridge University wrote in his book, “23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism”, that the washing machine has influenced the world more than the internet. We know that the washing machine has been in use since the 1800s. Then, how can we explain that more than two hundred and twenty years later, about five billion women around the world do not have access to a washing machine? Let's explore this exciting topic.
Chang states in his book that the washing machine was one of the most important inventions from the industrial revolution because it freed women from having to spend too much time doing laundry and other household chores. Women in industrialized societies were able to join the labor market and started obtaining an income.
By entering the labor market, the status of women in society began to change. Women could now make an independent living, meaning that they no longer had to rely on provision from men. This played a huge role in men and women being perceived as equals in society. This was a direct result from the invention of the washing machine.
Countries where women do not have access to a washing machine suffer chronic lower back pain and respiratory problems. And they have no time to help their husbands and families to get out of the poverty cycle because they can not enter the labor market. There was a study done in Peru where they surveyed 29,000 residents and confirmed that they spent 6 hours a day, three times a week, just doing laundry.
In Africa, people don’t have access to inhouse plumbing so they have to walk to a river to do their laundry. They also use detergent to wash their clothes and contribute to the contamination of rivers and lakes.
If the five billion people we talked about had access to a washing machine, they could dedicate more of their time to work, to start a business, or to find other ways to get out of their poverty cycle.
In his TED Talk, Hans Rosling tells the story of his first encounter with a washing machine. He says that he was a young boy and describes how fascinated he was to see his mom so happy. Even his grandmother who was present, thought it was a magical machine because it saved so much time and it made a hard day of work doing laundry disappear at the touch of a button.
A clothes dryer, also known as tumble dryer, is a powered household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually shortly after they are washed in a washing machine.