Melanie Primmer’s Theup to date house wife, published in Dunedin in 1926, was addressed to the housewife, not the mistress or her servant. Taking over the work previously done by servants was presented as a modern, adventurous thing to do. In fact, servants were so hard to get that there was little choice for many women but to do their own housework. It was generally socially unacceptable for women to work outside the home after getting married.
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