The two line graphs illustrate changes in the percentage of households owning electrical appliances (washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners) and the average number of hours spent on household chores per week in a particular country from 1920 to 2019.
Overall, the ownership of electrical appliances increased significantly throughout the period, while the amount of time spent on housework dropped dramatically. Refrigerators and vacuum cleaners saw the most rapid rise in ownership, whereas the washing machine experienced some fluctuations.
In 1920, the washing machine was owned by about 40% of households, while only 30% had a vacuum cleaner. Refrigerators were the least common appliance, with nearly 0% ownership. Over the next 40 years, ownership of all three appliances rose steadily. By 1960, refrigerators overtook both the washing machine and vacuum cleaner, reaching around 90%. By 1980, refrigerator and vacuum cleaner ownership reached 100% and remained stable thereafter. In contrast, washing machine ownership increased more gradually, reaching about 70% by 2019.
The second graph shows a sharp decline in the time spent on housework. In 1920, households spent approximately 50 hours per week on chores. By 1960, this figure had dropped to about 20 hours. After that, the decline slowed, with households spending just over 10 hours per week on housework by 2019.