Throughout history, effort, enterprise and energy have been expended by women in the ways of the household: cooking, cleaning, lighting, heating and laundrywork. This detailed study looks at the changing role of the housewife, investigating how, over three centuries, women fulfilled their domestic tasks and how the many changes which made life easier for the housewife modified perception of the role itself. The period covered was one of immense social change - new social and family relations, scientific advances and economic developments all had their effect on the housewife. Much of what is now taken for granted - instant hot water, heat and light at the flick of a switch, fresh food all the year round - would have been inconceivable to the many household managers represented in this book.