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Story: Unpaid domestic work

Working mothers

Image
Working mothers

A mother feeds her children early in the morning before heading out to paid work. Working mothers’ heavy workload is sometimes referred to as the ‘double shift’ – one at home, unpaid, doing childcare and housework, and the other for money in the office, shop or other workplace.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1989/2188/22A

by John Nicholson

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Matt Morris, Unpaid domestic work – The importance of unpaid work, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/23274/working-mothers (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Matt Morris, published 4 March 2010.