The provided line graphs depict the evolution of household ownership of electrical appliances and the amount of time spent on housework in a particular country from 1920 to 2019.
Overall, there was a notable reduction in the time allocated to housework on a weekly basis over the years. Concurrently, the prevalence of all three electric appliances – refrigerators, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners – surged, with refrigerators and vacuum cleaners becoming ubiquitous by 2019.
Commencing in 1920, the proportion of households with refrigerators experienced a remarkable increase, soaring from 0% to 90% within the span of four decades. By 1980, the penetration rate had reached full saturation at 100%. Similarly, vacuum cleaner ownership exhibited steady growth, rising by approximately 20% every 20 years until it also attained universal adoption by 2000. In contrast, the prevalence of washing machines showed slower progress over the century, with only a 30% increase by 2019.
In 1920, the average weekly hours allocated to housework were substantial at 50 hours. However, this figure saw a consistent decline every two decades, decreasing by about 15 hours each time. By 1960, the time spent on housework had dropped to 30 hours per week, further decreasing to 15 hours by 2019, signifying a significant shift in the distribution of household chores over the century.