Domestic Services

In recent decades, there has emerged an assumption that in commercial consumer cultures, domestic services have become increasingly commodified. Domestic services refers to household work tasks that allow the social reproduction of members of the household. Routine domestic services range from everyday housework tasks (e.g., housecleaning, laundry, ironing, cooking, and washing up) through household administration and gardening to caring activities (e.g., child care, elder care, and pet care). Nonroutine domestic services, meanwhile, range from house-maintenance tasks (e.g., outdoor painting, plastering, decorating, and mending broken windows and appliances) to home improvement activities (e.g., installing double glazing, insulation, putting in a bathroom suite, building an extension or loft conversion, putting in central heating, and carpentry).

Each and every one of these domestic services can be conducted using various ...