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Wages for housework: the daring 1970s campaign that challenged women's roles

Emily Callaci discusses a bold – and controversial – feminist movement that campaigned for women to be paid for household labour in the 1970s

• Ellie Cawthorne

Published: September 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM

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In the 1970s, a global group of feminist activists banded together with one demand: 'wages for housework'. Emily Callaci explores this campaign in her Cundill Prize-nominated book Wages for Housework and, in this episode, she speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about why the idea of women being compensated for unpaid household labour caused such a stir at the time – and continues to resonate today.

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Find out more about the Cundill History Prize

Emily Callaci is the author of Wages for Housework: The Story of a Movement, an Idea, a Promise (Allen Lane, 2025).

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Authors

Ellie CawthorneHead of content (audio)

Ellie Cawthorne is head of content (audio) at HistoryExtra

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