Are you a good homemaker, circa 1950

[naomikritzer]

There's an antique store near my house that sells vintage magazines for $1 each. I picked up a 1950 issue of a magazine called Today's Woman last year; I think I was thinking it might be fun to do some artwork with the pictures. I still think it might be fun to do some artwork with the pictures, but every time I sit down to look at the pictures I get distracted by the articles, which are fascinating in their own right.

One article is a quiz to rate yourself as a homemaker. The quiz was apparently created by some home economists from a university. I actually sat down and took the quiz; I'll tell you my score after I post the quiz. It's a pretty long quiz, so I will probably give my commentary in a separate post.

I'll tell you now that I was expecting something that would fulfill all my stereotypes of the 1950s, even though I really ought to know better, and this definitely did not.


HOME MANAGEMENT YARDSTICK

I

Management of Your Time and Energy
(section total = 60)

A. Do you make and use a plan for your work?
(Choose one or none)

1. Regularly (8 points)
2. Occasionally (6)
3. At special times (4)

(FYI, all the parenthetical numbers are the number of points you write down if you do it. If you don't use a plan at all, you get no points here. Make sense?)

B. Is your plan...
(choose one or none)
1. Written (3)
2. Mental (1)
3. Combination of 1 & 2 (2)

C. Do you customarily finish your work?
(Choose one or none)
1. Nearly all of it (6)
2. The majority of your tasks (4)
3. Only part of planned work because you do many unplanned tasks (2)


D. Do you plan meals in advance?
(Choose one or none)
1. More than 2 days ahead (8)
2. Two days ahead (6)
3. One day ahead (4)
4. Some meals planned in advance (3)
5. Breakfast night before; others same day (2)
6. No planning except weekly shopping (1)

E. Do you cook food for more than one meal at a time?
(Choose one or none)
1. Sufficient of certain foods for 2 or more meals. (6)
2. More than enough so that remainder can be used later (3)

F. Do you plan for leisure activities with your family?
(Choose one or none)
1. Often (5)
2. Occasionally (2)

G. How do you use your leisure time?
(Choose as many as apply)
1. Do you take part in any group activity -- church, community, or social? (2)
2. What forms of leisure do you enjoy by yourself:
(a) Active (such as sports, music, handwork) (2)
(b) Passive (such as reading, listening to radio, going to movies) (2)
Bonus for varied forms of leisure time:
Add 3 if you scored 6 on G
Add 1 if you scored 4 on G.

H. Do you get your needed rest and sleep?
1. Sleep at night
(Choose only one)
a. 7-9 hours (5)
b. Over 9 hours (2)
c. Less than 7 hours (1)

2. Rest during the day:
(choose one or none)
a. Regular during daytime (5)
b. Irregular or during evening (3)

Bonus for balanced use of time:
If yes to the following practices -
Nearly all of your work done
3 types of leisure
7-9 hours of sleep -- add (5)

II
Your Money Management
(Section Total = 50)

A. Who spends the money in your family?
(Choose only one)

1. Father, mother, and children (8)
2. Father and mother (6)
3. One parent and children (4)
4. Father or mother or children (2)

B. Does your family have a written plan for spending money?
(Choose one or none)
1. Complete plan (10)
2. Partial plan (5)

C. If your family has a plan, who makes it?
1. Father, mother, and all except very young children (9)
2. Father, mother, and some of the older children (7)
3. Father and mother (4)
4. One parent and children (4)
5. Father or mother or children (2)

D. Did your family save during the year?
(choose one or none)
1. As much as or more than planned (6)
2. Less than planned (3)
3. Saved without planning (3)

E. If your family saved, what was your purpose?
(choose as many as apply)
1. Reduce debt or improve farm orr business or home (2)
2. Children's education, old age, health, emergencies (2)
3. Vacation or other (2)
Bonus for variety of purposes in saving. Add 3 points if purposes score 4 points or more.

F. If your family keeps financial records, what form is used?
(Choose only one)
1. Record book or card file (8)
2. Cancelled checks (4)
3. Other sketchy methods. Example: receipted bills. (2)

III

Your Household Production
(Section Total = 15)

A. Do you sew for your family?
(Choose as many as apply)
1. All except men's and boys' outer clothing (7)
2. Women's dresses and children's clothing (6)
3. Children's clothing only (4)
4. Aprons, work dresses, chiefly (4)
5. None beyond mending (2)
6. Household textiles (2)

B. Do you preserve food (can, freeze, dry, etc.)?
(Choose one or none)
1. Fruits, vegetables, meats, jams, jellies, pickles (8)
2. Fruits, vegetables, meats (6)
3. Any 2 of the 3 foods under No. 2. (4)
4. Any 1 of the 3 foods under No. 2. (2)
5. Jams, jellies, pickles (1)

IV
Your Conservation of Goods
(Section Total = 30)

A. What care is given to family clothing?
(choose as many as apply)

1. Pressing
a. Women's dresses (1)
b. Girls' dresses (1)
c. Men's suits (1)
d. Older boys' suits (1)

2. Dry cleaning (home or commercial)
a. Men's overcoats (at least once a year) (1)
b. Men's suits (1)
c. Women's coats (1)
d. Women's dresses (1)
e. Children's garments (1)

B. Do you mend household textiles?
(Choose as many as apply)
1. Sheets (1)
2. Pillowcases (1)
3. Towels (1)
4. Tablecloths (1)
5. Napkins (1)
6. Curtains (1)
7. Rugs (1)

C. If you use any moth protection are you successful?
(Choose one or none)
1. Consistently (4)
2. Often (2)
3. Occasionally (1)

D. Care and repair of furniture (home or commercial)
Give yourself one check mark for each item if you clean it, repair it, or refinish it. (The actual instructions are, "Check your practices in the proper columns," where the columns are, "Cleaned, Repaired, Refinished," but I'm afraid columns won't show up correctly.)

Chairs
Tables
Beds
Rugs

1. If you have four or more check marks, (6)
2. If you have 3 checks (4)
3. If you have 2 checks (2)
4. If you have 1 check (1)

E. How do you store brooms, brushes -- and mops?
(Choose your one most common practice)
1. Hanging up (4)
2. Standing upside down (2)
3. Lying flat (2)

V. Your Present Activities for Future Development
(Section Total = 110)

A. Does your family have long-time plans?
(Choose one or none)
1. For more than 5 years ahead (8)
2. For 2-5 years (6)
3. For 1 year (4)
4. For 6 months to 1 year (2)

B. Do these plans include provision for the children's education? (6)
If so, who made the plans? (choose only one)
1. Father, mother, and child concerned (6)
2. Father and mother (4)
3. Father or mother (2)
4. Other family members (2)

C. Do you consciously provide for the development of your children's personalities?
(Choose as many as apply)
1. In the family-- through conversation or definite child training. (3)
2. Through special lessons (example--music) or books or trips or listening to special radio programs (3)
3. Through social contacts with stimulating persons and youth groups, such as Scouts. (3)
Bonus-- Add 3 for a score of 9 on Part C.

D. Do you have plans to improve the family financial status?
(Choose as many as apply)
1. Bettering your home by acquiring (or remodeling) a house or its furnishings (3)
2. Buying property or expanding your business or making investments (3)
3. Taking out or increasing insurance (3)
Bonus -- for diversified financial program. If score on Part D is at least 6, add (3)

E. Does your family have health examinations?

1. Physical examinations by a doctor
a. Adults (choose only one)
* At regular intervals (3)
* Only when illness develops (1)
b. Children (choose only one)
* At regular intervals (3)
* Only when illness develops (1)

2. Dental examinations by dentist
a. Adults (choose only one)
* At regular intervals (3)
* Only when toothache or emergency occurs (1)
b. Children (choose only one)
* At regular intervals (3)
* Only when toothache or emergency occurs (1)
Bonus -- Add (3) if "Regular" is checked twice above or (6) if "Regular" is checked 4 times above.

F. Do you plan for the social development of your family?

1. Does your family get together other than at mealtimes:
(Choose one or none)
a. More than 20 times per month (5)
b. 11-20 times (3)
c. 1-10 times (2)

2. How many guests at meals do you have per year:
(choose one or none in each part)
a. Invited by adults
* Over 100 (4)
* 50-100 (8)
* 25-49 (6)
* 1-24 (4)
b. Invited by children over 16
* Over 50 (4)
* 20-49 (6)
* 1-19 (4)
c. Invited by children under 16
* Over 50 (3)
* 20-49 (4)
* 1-19 (2)

G. Does your family belong to community organizations?
(Score as many as apply)

1. Father
a. Recreational (1)
b. Not chiefly recreational (1)

2. Mother
a. Recreational (1)
b. Not chiefly recreational (1)

3. Children 14 and over
a. Recreational (1)
b. Not chiefly recreational (1)

4. Children under 14
a. Recreational (1)
b. Not chiefly recreational (1)

Bonus -- If all family members have both types represented, add (3)
If all family members have one type represented, add (2)

H. Does your family attend church or Sunday school?
(Score as many as apply)

1. More than 24 times per year
a. Father (3)
b. Mother (3)
c. Children (3)

2. 13-24 times per year
a. Father (2)
b. Mother (2)
c. Children (2)

3. 1-12 times per year
a. Father (1)
b. Mother (1)
c. Children (1)

Bonus -- If all family members attend any number of times per year, add (5)

If both parents, or one parent and all children, attend any number of times, add (3)

VI
Your Incentives for Home Management
(Section Total = 35)

A. Are you working to become more efficient (3)
B. Are you trying to conserve energy (3)
C. Are you trying to get more leisure time for yourself (2)
D. Are you trying to free time to earn money (2)
E. Are you trying to reduce the expenses of your household (5)
F. Are you trying to improve your home artistically (2)
G. Are you striving for more social life
1. Within the family circle (4)
2. Outside the family (2)
H. Are you working toward greater participation in community affairs (5)
I. Is your aim to make family living more satisfactory (7)

GRAND TOTAL OF POSSIBLE POINTS: 300

They then have a short essay at the end telling you what you should expect to score and what averages are.

Out of a possible total of 300 points, how well should you expect to score? The highest mark any Michigan homemaker made was 219 -- about three-fourths of the possible goal; the average was 150. Mark yourself "excellent" if you score 185 or over, "good" if you rate 160, "average" if your tally is between 140 and 150 and "poor" if you go down to about 110.

Of the group of Michigan homemakers who were tested, 326 had children. When graded by specialists in home management, these women scored relatively high: In Household Production, 11 out of 15 points; Use of Time and Energy, 36 out of 60; and in Conservation of Goods, 18 out of 30. They scored low: in Money Management, 17 out of50; and in Conscious Incentives for Home Management, 8 out of 35.

In analyzing your score, keep these points in mind: In what area of Management is my greatest strength? In what ways do I need to improve? Bear in mind too that where you live, how large your family is, what your husband earns and how much education you have make no difference in the score you achieve. And if you scored low, chin up -- remember, nothing can take the place of the will to succeed and your native ability as a homemaker.

Oh, and yes. I promised my score.

I got 119 points. Better than I expected, actually, when I first looked over the quiz. Especially given that my sewing skills are limited to sewing on buttons, and I have never in my life canned anything.

I'll post my commentary on this separately.

Comments

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

As a single person the test didn't really fit my life, but I did well in a couple sections as far as they went, and flunked myself in one area (household finances) that should apply even to a single person and even these days.