"Maid to Order" Response

Barbara Ehrenreich’s essay “Maid to Order” highlights many interesting points and observations about the little known world of residential cleaning. At first glance, cleaning someone’s home seems as innocuous as taking out the trash. However, Ehrenreich exposes the darker side of this task; in particular, the power dynamics between the sexes comes to mind. More often than not, it is the women’s duty to clean the house and pick up after the men. This unspoken agreement between the genders has been one of the staples of the patriarchal society in America. The basic theory, from a feminist perspective, is that housework equates to power. Ehrenreich observes that, “To make a mess that another person will have to deal with…is to exert domination in one of its more silent and intimate forms” (61). Men have power because they force women (indirectly) to clean up after them. Even in contemporary times, women still do the majority of household cleaning. This fact compels Ehrenreich to introduce us to a “dea ex machina,” (62) the maid. She notes that in the past few decades, the home has slowly transformed into a workplace for these maids. What used to be an intimate household chore has now given way to the entrepreneurs seeking profits in a capitalist economy. In light of this recent trend, the author raises the following question: “Is the home a place where you would want to live?” (62) My answer is no, because I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting strangers probe through every nook and cranny of my house. The home should remain a private part of one’s life. Any conflict between men and women concerning household chores should be resolved in an assertive and definitive manner.