Thing 4
The washing machine has changed the world more than the internet has
The washing machine has changed the world more than the internet has
0
terms
2
notes
[...] the washing machine and other household appliances, which, by vastly reducing the amount of work needed for household chores, allowed women to enter the labour market and virtually abolished professons with domestic service [...]
i don't necessarily agree with the comparison (I think it's dumb to compare something like the Internet with household appliances--they're just different in nature) but it's a good point about the scale of demographic change in the labour market afforded by allowing women to enter the workforce
[...] the washing machine and other household appliances, which, by vastly reducing the amount of work needed for household chores, allowed women to enter the labour market and virtually abolished professons with domestic service [...]
i don't necessarily agree with the comparison (I think it's dumb to compare something like the Internet with household appliances--they're just different in nature) but it's a good point about the scale of demographic change in the labour market afforded by allowing women to enter the workforce
Even more worryingly, the fascination with the internet by people in rich countries has moved the international community to worry about the 'digital divide' between the rich countries and the poor countries. This has led companies, charitable foundations and individuals to donate money to developing countries to buy computer equipment and internet facilities. The question, however, is whether this is what the developing countries need the most. Perhaps giving money for those less fashionable things such as digging wells, extending electricity grids and making more affordable washing machines would have improved people's lives more than giving every child a laptop computer or setting up internet centres in rural villages. [...]
Even more worryingly, the fascination with the internet by people in rich countries has moved the international community to worry about the 'digital divide' between the rich countries and the poor countries. This has led companies, charitable foundations and individuals to donate money to developing countries to buy computer equipment and internet facilities. The question, however, is whether this is what the developing countries need the most. Perhaps giving money for those less fashionable things such as digging wells, extending electricity grids and making more affordable washing machines would have improved people's lives more than giving every child a laptop computer or setting up internet centres in rural villages. [...]