One of the prerequisites of a modern mentality is the introduction of new technology in the home. Cast iron pipes and electrical wiring laid the foundation for a modernity that reached out of an intellectual dimension and into daily life.
Each generation barely had time to get used to the new technology that changed their everyday lives, before they experienced yet another step into the future. The consequences of moderni zation were new patterns of consumption and greater control of the processes of everyday life. This did not necessarily reduce the amount of housework, but led to less drudgery and easier living.