Advertisement - 1972 Housework
Advertisement from St Michael News, November 1972.
This article is promoting M&S's range of Homecare products which combined 'high quality with affordable prices'. The image that accompanies the text shows a woman happily surrounded by all these new products, which are announced as making her role as a housewife much easier. As the article states 'washing dishes is rarely enjoyable' but at least with M&S's 'new Homecare range' the housework can take less time.
The image of the woman highlights the gendered nature of housework at the time - women were largely seen as solely responsible for the housework. Such stereotypes persist today - women are still responsible for the vast majority of the housework even when in paid employment. Current adverts for domestic products are still dominated by women, continually reinforcing these expectations.
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Source: Marks & Spencer Company Archive