Doing the Dirty Washing: Women as the Scapegoats of the New Right

Anne Else

doi:10.26686/jnzs.v7i2.389

Authors

Anne Else Victoria University of Wellington

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/jnzs.v7i2.389

Abstract

Doing the washing is an untidy business. So untidy, in fact, that US city councillor James Fragoli wants to impose fines of US$1000 on anyone hanging washing in their front yard. But someone asked Councillor Fragoli a very smart question: what happens to his washing? His reply: "I come home, my wife has it done. I don' t know what she does to it."

As False Economy (Else, 1996) demonstrates, women are held responsible - and for the most part, hold themselves responsible - for cleaning up most of society's everyday dirty washing. But they are also responsible for keeping this messy business out of sight and out of mind, so that it does not intrude on the real business of the world. If they fail in either task, they risk severe penalties.

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Author Biography

Anne Else, Victoria University of Wellington

Anne Else is Honorary Research Associate in Women's Studies at Victoria University of Wellington.

Else is also a former resident of the Stout Research Centre (1988-89), is an independent researcher, writer and broadcaster specialising in gender issues in the post-war period. Her latest book, False Economy: New Zealanders Face the Conflict between Paid and Unpaid Work, was published by Tandem Press in 1996.