To partially disagree with the argument about the 'second shift' made by some WASPIS?

[Carla786]

I know that workplace discrimination was rife for women who were born in the 1950s. Lack of childcare etc. I'm not disputing that.

I disagree partly with the argument made by some WASPIS that the 'second shift' (housework/childcare) they had to do while in paid work is important to their case.

For one thing, women in the 1970s & 80s were more likely to work less hours, work part-time. Men were more likely to work longer hours, do more overtime. Obviously this was fuelled by discrimination, lack of childcare that I mentioned above.

This ties to my other point : in the 70s & 80s raising children was often less labour-intensive than today, in the sense that children played out a lot more, ferrying to many activities was less common, parental input even in primary school was generally a bit less intense than expected often today. Studies (I'll link) have shown mothers (and fathers) spend longer with their kids today, whether or not they work.

So I suppose my point is: did that many WASPI age women experience a second shift as such?
I'm not disputing the misogyny of the era often but otoh if childcare was less labour-intensive than today, and many women were SAHM, part time, and less likely to work overtime, were a lot of women necessarily experiencing a 'second shift' in the sense of spending more hours working than their husband? In this equation, housework and childcare are counted as work, as well as paid work.

Yes but you had to have a freezer to put it in. My mum didn't have a freezer until my grandad bought one for her in 1973

Whereas I, born in the 50s, have worked f/t from leaving higher Ed (and i worked weekends and holidays) until I was able to draw my occupational pension and then p/t until I was 66 when I was finally able to get my SP. And all my friends, whether married, with children, or not, have done pretty much the same.

When was this you grew up as it's not comparable with my 70s childhood

I do remember those things being about when my kids were little in mid 90s

You have a very narrow definition of childcare. Up to the 1980s mothers commonly made clothes for their children; sewing and knitting were normal domestic skills. There was no fast-fashion.

So when schools ran dress-up days (they did), dance and theatre schools ran shows, it was a basic expectation that mothers would make all the costumes.

Cooking from scratch was normal too. Freezers, then microwaves and convenience foods were novelties in the 1980s.

I was born 1966, we didn't get an automatic washer until my brother was born in 1972, we didn't have a colour tv until I was 5, we only had 1 car so my mum did all the shopping on foot. My mum cared for us during the day & worked in the evenings, she did cleaning, worked in a chip shop or on a factory floor until I was 12 when she went back to working in an office during the day. We didn't get a freezer until I was about 10, my parents didn't but their own house until 1975 when the landlady who owned nearly all the area died & they were able to buy as sitting tenants, my dad put the central heating system in, fitted the bathroom & kitchen. We didn't have a holiday every year, every 2 years at best, we didn't have a lot of money, my grandparents helped us out a lot. When I started work the agreement was I worked until I was 60, now I won't get my statement pension for another 7 years, not in 3 weeks as it should have been. The government should have changed the retirement age for school leavers as they started work, not mid contract for people already working.

I think regardless of how significant the second shift was, it’s not actually relevant to the issue.

As stated we had a twin tub, ( Monday was wash dat) no freezer so frozen food no use, no car and a carpet sweeper thing which later upgraded to a hoover junior which used to regularly break belts ( I was a whizz at changing those) Born 1971 and brothers 73 and 74

This ties to my other point : in the 70s & 80s raising children was often less labour-intensive than today, in the sense that children played out a lot more, ferrying to many activities was less common, parental input even in primary school was generally a bit less intense than expected often today. Studies (I'll link) have shown mothers (and fathers) spend longer with their kids today, whether or not they work.

Blimey. In the 70s my Mum used no convenience foods, had no dishwasher. Had a twin tub washing machine which was hard work to use (filled from a hose that had to be attached to the kitchen tap, the washing had to be transferred but by bit to the spinner, spin and removed and the next few items put in, then drain the machine).

Meat was minced in a hand mincer. All cakes and puds home made, no mixer or magimix. Shopping was a walk to the co-op, no car or deliveries.

The grate had to be cleared, fire laid and lit in front room, coal hod filled twice a day with a shovel from the shed.

No hoover, a carpet cleaner. Hand push mower for the lawn.

All our jumpers were hand knitted by Mum.

We played out because there was hardly any kids TV to watch. No iPads to keep kids from interrupting.

Yep, I’d say the second shift was real, and no wonder there wasn’t always time to fiend with kids!

I was born in the early 80’s, my DM falls into the WASPI category.

We had an automatic washer, and a freezer full of convenience food, plus a microwave.

Granted the tumble drier came later, and a dishwasher (other than me from about age 7!) much later.

My brother was born late 80’s and I remember changing his disposable nappies and using wet wipes.

The way some posters are talking on this thread is more the 50’s/60’s than the 80’s!

I’m not sure why people are so focused on just the early 70s. The argument being made is that the waspi women had a harder ”second shift” than we do during their working life. But for even the oldest waspi woman, that working life was 1970 to 2015! A young waspi woman was 10 in 1970 and probably didn’t have children herself until the mid 80s!

What year was your mum born?

Honestly a lot of them are talking about the 50s for some reason. Mentioning their mums and saying they themselves were born in the 50s and 60s making their mums not waspis.

The 70s and 80s were when the kids of the wasp women were young that's why. My mum was born in 48 so just missed it

We had a washing machine in the 80s, but no tumble dryer. A fridge, but no freezer. I had cloth nappies, because disposables were rubbish. We didn’t have a microwave or a dishwasher. My children were taken to Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, gymnastics, horse riding and swimming. They did play outside, but in the garden. They went to friends houses when they were older.

I didn’t work when they were small, because there was no childcare. No nurseries, no child minders, only a playgroup, which I helped to set up and run. I went back to work when they were at primary school.

DH was self employed and out of the house from 6.30am to 7pm.

I knitted for them and made costumes for school dress up days. My favourite velvet jacket became a waistcoat for a Victorian day and a black evening dress became a witch’s cloak.

I didn’t retire at 60.

Yes-70s and 80s, and 90s too! Not just the early 70s.

Sorry that was to @Thechaseison71

I’m a working parent in 2026. I have a washing machine but no tumble dryer, an under the counter fridge with a tiny freezer compartment, and I don’t have a microwave. We cook from scratch pretty much every night.

I work 35 hours a week around school hours and in evenings.

I’ll most likely never retire at all.

Frozen food was beginning to be available but were no means common . Nothing like the range we have today. I remember the great excitement when my parents bought a chest freezer in the 70’s . However it was used for example to freeze half a lamb or some other food which still needed to be prepared and cooked, not ready meals. We did however get through a fair amount of ice cream in gallon tubs ! There was nothing like the range you see today for a long time. I remember going to the first ever supermarket in our local town , food piled high ! We were used to visiting separate shops, the butcher, greengrocer etc. My mum had to shop every few days, no weekly online deliveries then !
Add to all that twin tub washing machines, cloth nappies , my mum used to say she was in between the generation who had domestic help, and the generation after her who had automatic washing machines for example. I think it was pretty hard work.

I think it was actually more labour intensive. Housework definitely was no tumble drying automatic washers , fancy hoovers, microwave ovens, frozen food . Things were definitely not as easy as they are now

Washing machines, hoovers, microwaves etc were all part of my 80s childhood.

The first Iceland opened in 1970 so frozen food was a thing

You are correct. The goalposts were moved with very short notice for some women. Some women were never officially notified. DWP are notoriously bad at communication, I didn't receive a letter telling me that I would have to claim my pension rather than it being automatically issued as used to happen.
Those women who had no private/ occupational pension, were left high and dry with not enough time to make alternative financial arrangements, so had to work longer. It is very much an issue which affects lower paid women more because they were least likely to have a private pension that they could access at 60.
The compensation was meant to make amends for the lack of/short notice, not for any other reason.

And plenty of families don’t have dishwashers or dryers now!

It's now the norm for women to do a second shift whilst working full-time, i'd say - or at the very least, part time for a lot less per hour in real terms - but I don't know how much of the argument is based in comparisons to the situation nowadays.

Agree - I'd hate to be without either but a lot of poeple seem to regard them as luxury appliances

Yes, WASPIS are women born in the 50s. So people posting who were born in 50s are WASPIS age range themselves, but their mums weren't.

My mum was born in1953, she had a washer and dryer on the late 70’s and I wasn’t ‘raised’. I was told to ‘away out and play!’ so she could have peace.