Effect of Washing Machine on SocietyThis essay will explore the impact of washing machine on society. It will particularly focus on women and how technology has influenced them. We will first look at Western cultures where the impact of the washing machine is mature. At the start of the 20th century, the majority of married women worked at home. At the turn of the 21st century, most married women worked full time. This is a significant change in the way society functions. Greenwood attributes this change to the washing machine. (Greenwood, Seshadri and Yorukoglu, 2005) It is quite simple to draw positive conclusions about the impact of washing machines, and I will explain some of them. There have also been some interesting negative effects and social changes when it comes to cleanliness standards. In 2010, the former editor of the Irish Times was asked during a panel discussion on feminism which invention had changed their lives the most. Mamo Mcdonald, born in 1929, answered “The washing machine” (Fintan, 2012). Before the introduction of the washing machine, it was normal for all laundry weeks to be reserved for one day, usually Monday. Rhoda Bickers remembers her childhood in Taihape: “I hated Mondays! It was laundry day. After school, I had to come home and do the dishes because mom was washing clothes all day. (Rasmussen, 1994, p. 8) These quotes paint an interesting picture of life in the early 20th century. Washing was clearly an all-day, labor-intensive job. The washing machine clearly had a big impact on Mamo and I'm sure Rhoda appreciated it too. It is clear that most household chores were considered women's work. The introduction of the washing machine actually led to labor savings. Combined with other domestic means, among a multitude of devices, it is identified as having the greatest effect on society in liberating the female workforce. Although it is difficult to draw direct links between technology and change, it is strongly suggested that the washing machine was the catalyst enabling social change. The washing machine was not a magic box with dirty clothes going into one end and ironed. folded clothes coming out of the other. There was still a lot of work to be done to clean the clothes and prepare them for the next use. All this work fell to women and the washing machine did not really meet their needs and requirements. In this case, technology contributed to isolation and reduced social involvement. Society quickly came to expect people to wear clean clothes. This required more wash cycles, reducing the machine's impact on labor savings..