The line graphs compare three distinct electrical appliances commonly used in households and the number of hours spent on housework in a country over a 99-year period.
Overall, the figures for the three appliances dramatically increased over the years, while the number of hours spent on housework gradually decreased. Although washing machines were the most common appliance in 1920, their usage declined significantly over time.
In 1920, households that owned washing machines had the highest number at 40, followed by vacuum cleaners with a figure of 30. Both appliances showed an upward trend, reaching 60 and 50, respectively, by 1940. In contrast, refrigerators started at the lowest point with a figure of 0, but experienced marked growth, surpassing vacuum cleaners at 55 by 1940. By 1980, the number of households with refrigerators peaked at 100, while vacuum cleaner ownership reached 90. Washing machines, however, fell to a low of 64. This trend continued until 2000, when vacuum cleaners overtook washing machines in popularity, ending the period with washing machines experiencing a slight increase to 72 in 2019.
According to the second line graph, the amount of time spent on housework in 1920 was quite high at 50 hours per week. This figure followed a fluctuating trend, decreasing to about 15 hours in 1980. It remained stable at 15 hours until 2000 before experiencing a small decline to 10 hours by 2019.