Domestic work is one of the ways in which houses are made into homes, but this work is not done equally and while domestic work is one of the most quotidian, ordinary activities that there is, its organisation and accomplishment are far from simple. In this talk I look at how we can research something as intimate and routine as domestic work in order to understand inequalities in the home. In addition to traditional housework, I explore ‘digital housekeeping’ and the inequalities that are associated with this newer aspect of housework. As well as research methods that take place in houses (interviews, photo and video elicitation, diaries), I locate housework within global-scale networks and examine how online methods can elucidate the wider context of inequalities that shape the work that happens at home and with that the homes we live in.
Rosie Cox is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Sussex. Prior to her arrival at Sussex, Rosie was Head of the School of Social Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London. Her research focuses on the relationship between home, work, and consumption. She is particularly interested in inequalities in the home, and in domestic work. She is co-editor of the Routledge book series (since 2019) Home.