The marginalization of productivity is a feature of our modern world. It keeps us good consumers, because we can’t make the things we use on a day-to-day basis. If we can make them, making them is seen as low-status, and/or the things we make are seen as low-worth. ”Bought” things are better.  At least, that’s how it’s been. We are seeing a turn-around as, to cut prices, the “bought” things are being made so cheaply that their quality has dropped below middling-well-made home items. How did we get here?

Let’s start with a few definitions:

• What is production? Making stuff. More to the point, making stuff that we actually need and use. If you’re making stuff that you neither need nor use, you’re doing something with your hands (which is not a bad thing) but it’s not “production”. 
• What kinds of things do people produce outside of the workplace? Food. Furniture. Clothing. Components of the above. Jewelry and other personal adornments. Pet items. 

All of these things are socially acceptable, if you make them as a side hustle and sell them for money. They are less so when you make them for yourself and your family/friends. The modern world values most things based on dollars and cents. 

Stage One: Value bought items over homemade items for objective reasons

• They are more professionally made, with a higher degree of skill (going to the tailor vs. sewing your own)
• The materials that are used are higher quality or less available to the general public (certain types of flour, certain types of materials)
• Professional-quality tools are required to turn out a “bought” looking item. 
• Greater quantity/greater choice are available in bought items (ex: fruits & veg)

After stage 1, the public is left with the understanding that “bought” is better. At this stage, they likely still produce, but bought has higher status. The marginalization of productivity has begun.

Stage Two: Learning to produce declines in importance

• Because home produced items are of lesser value, we devalue learning to produce things to pursue dollars.
• School tracks begin to shift “smart kids” away from learning to use their hands.
• Less space is made in homes for production. Kitchens become smaller, there are fewer tool-sheds. Fewer allowances are made for the clutter that accumulates when production is present.
• Poorly taught people produce lower-quality goods, which increases the rate at which home-produced items are devalued.

At this point, the public understands that high-status people don’t involve themselves in production, and they pull away.

Stage Three: Production returns as a hobby/form of consumption

• Finding quality materials to produce at home becomes difficult and time consuming. 
• Low-quality, but “bright and shiny” materials proliferate. Low quality fabrics (or fabrics suitable for crafting, not clothing) abound, cheap wood, partially-premade sauces, thoroughly waxed and rubber-like tomatoes are all available. 
• Production from low-quality materials produces low-quality results, results designed to be disposable.
• Production skills are no longer taught in schools, and rarely at home. Tangential skills, like budgeting and repair, are no longer taught, making it more difficult for those who wish to produce to make good decisions about materials and outcomes. 

You Were Here…. very recently 

I worked at a craft store when I was in college. I can remember advising a lady to make cross-stitched pillows with her 5th-6th grade children as an easy, fun craft. (Cross-stitch is an extremely easy form of embroidery). She chose to make painted pillows, even though the fabric paint that was available at that time/place was known to peel off, not be washable or durable, and be scratchy. 

“Why would you want to make that?” was not a question I was allowed to ask customers, but it is something I wondered. Why would you choose to spend your time and materials on something that wasn’t fit for purpose? But the marginalization of productivity had taken place, and what she wanted to do was keep her hands busy for a few hours – it was entertainment.

Salvation through Ever-Cheapening Results

We now look around and find that the products that surround us are low-quality, and the variety and novelty aren’t there – at least in most price brackets. The clothing being offered to most people is made of material so poorly manufactured that it pills and wears out within a few washes. Most “bought” foods (again – standard brands) are full of sugar and fillers that reduce the nutrition and increase the chances of disease. 

Now is the time to create hunger for better experiences and return production to the home, and to the hands of the individual. Not only does doing good work reap satisfaction and a sense of worth, but the value of “bought” is now that it’s just … cheaper. (Not less expensive – cheaper in every sense of the word).  Can I make a hamburger at home cheaper than McD’s can? No. But I wouldn’t want to. I can make a restaurant quality hamburger at home for far less expense. Let’s revisit the list from Stage One:

• They are more professionally made, with a higher degree of skill (going to the tailor vs. sewing your own)….. Nope. Most of the items that I see in daily use are made with profits in mind, not skill. I’m sure the seamstresses making most of our clothes have mad skill – but they also have mad quotas, so the clothes themselves aren’t that great. I can make better. I can cook better, too. I might even be able to grow a better tomato.
• The materials that are used are higher quality or less available to the general public (certain types of flour, certain types of materials). This is partially true, but is becoming less so with the advent of the internet. You can acquire the skills and get references to the places that you can buy professional quality components.
• Professional-quality tools are required to turn out a “bought” looking item. Regrettably, this is still true….. but again, most of our “stuff” is more likely to look good for a small amount of time or have looks that are not related to quality otherwise. Quality requires time, and time is money, and the economy is invested in saving money.
• Greater quantity/greater choice are available in bought items (ex: fruits & veg) Not so much! Again, the pursuit of cheap has cut our choices. I couldn’t possibly find the clothes that I make myself… at least not from anyone but a small business/individual. And variety? If I hit the farmer’s market I’ll find 10x the variety I can find in a mainstream grocery store.

It was always skill that differentiated the good stuff. It’s time to give power to the people and give them back their skills. The marginalization of productivity isn’t something that sits well in our souls, so why should we let it live in our society?

Notes from a Master Homemaker

The clothes I wear stop people every time I go out. Even my easiest, comfiest, most casual skirt gets compliments from the day I make it until the day I retire it. I can’t find the kind of clothes that I make in the stores. I cannot find the quality of materials that I use in the stores – at least until I drive an hour and visit a store with lots of zeroes on the price tag. Yes, I do spend more than on off-the-shelf clothing in a “basic” store. But I buy less clothing, because I need less, as my clothing lasts for a long time. (Not only do I know how to make it, I know how to maintain it, and because the material quality is high, it’s easier to maintain). This also makes me a better shopper, when I do buy clothing. It makes me better at budgeting and planning my wardrobe. 

The same can be said of my food. I cook fresh food from scratch, I know my ingredients, and I consider my family’s health and tastes. There is always more to learn, but what I consider an “everyday” food item makes others swoon. It is rare that I find a restaurant that cooks better than I do – I visit restaurants for an experience. I buy little processed food. I pursue new skills and use my resources effectively.

My skills matter to me, and they matter to my family. The marginalization of productivity marginalized every homemaker, but our skills haven’t become less useful. The marginalization of productivity marginalized every small craftsperson, every man who made his own benches, everyone who did their own repairs. But the skills don’t go away – and neither do the lessons we learned along the way while building those skills. 

Humans still want nice things, and if you want them, likely you’ll need to learn to make them yourself. There’s a lot of satisfaction to be had in getting exactly what you want, and in knowing that it was your hands that created something. 

We’re all consumers, but it was time we all became producers again as well.

Interested in this topic? Come visit me over at Historical Femininity and discuss.