Story: Unpaid domestic work

The 1950s couple

The 1950s couple

The classic 1950s domestic set-up was a husband in full-time work and a stay-at-home wife whose time was devoted to housework and childcare. In the New Zealand ‘DIY’ tradition, men were expected to do whatever household maintenance tasks they could – including jobs like laying laminated benchtops. This mid-1950s advertisement for Laminex encourages the husband to ‘do it yourself (for her)’.

Courtesy of Laminex Industries

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: Eph-A-DECOR-1955-01

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Matt Morris, 'Unpaid domestic work - Housework and caregiving', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/ephemera/23319/the-1950s-couple (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Matt Morris, published 11 Mar 2010