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Re:Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern work... by JoeAltmaier on Friday March 23, 2018 @08:51AM (#16657500)
Standard of living == hours available for chores. So the hardest-working lowest peasant on poor land wore rags. Because they 'couldn't afford' to make any better with the time and energy they had left over.

The single most significant living improvement in rural America in the 20th Century was - rural electrification. Because the housekeeper got almost their entire Wednesday back, no longer spent out on the washing porch scrubbing at the washtub, cranking the wringer and hanging/gathering wet clothes at the line. My Mom for instance.

Re:Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern work... by ctdonath on Friday March 23, 2018 @09:51AM (#16658083)
Standard of living == hours available for chores

Interesting definition. Needs expansion to address the number of hours required to perform chores. Having more hours available to do laundry isn't better if laundry takes significantly more hours. Peasant may have had a whole day per week available to do laundry, but indeed expended that whole day doing it ... vs laundry taking me less than an hour per week.