I come from a long line of housewives. Irish and German women working in the home, raising 4-8 children each. All committed to their family’s well being and care.

I got married. He was a doctor. We had two children. I worked in the home for about four years. It was killing my soul. I knew the importance of what I was doing for my children and husband. But I could not shake that I was invisible.To the world, the work I did had no value.

But what if it did have value? What if humanity valued it highly? What would that mean for women and their status in the world? How would our perspective on work and maintenance have to change in order to elevate the value of housework to the level of fine arts? We would have to value maintenance as much as we value innovation. Then sustainability would be the foundation of everything we did.We would move away from extractive capitalism towards an ideaology of renewal, restoration and maintenance.

- Marge Dean