Towards an understanding of domestic practice as commodified work

Abstract

ABSTRACT Domestic practice, defined as the everyday activity concerned with the running of a household, is an important part of working in the home. We have seen important social and market changes that have transformed the meaning and performance of domestic practice, predominantly in Western societies, from an unpaid women’s duty to a skill worthy of market exchange within the digital economy. Prior literature has offered a range of meanings for domestic practice, from highly gendered and tied to motherhood, to a symbol of familial identity, to a source of income and capital accumulation. However, what we know less about is how domestic practice has evolved into a form of commodified work. Based on a historical narrative literature review of prior studies in marketing and consumer research, we show the evolution of domestic practice within the successive stages of capitalism and capture the historic forces that have contributed to its transformation.