1) Consider what audience this piece was written for. What assumptions does Ehrenreich make about this audience?
I believe Ehrenreich's intended audience for this piece is those who have not thought much about the role of women in society, specifically those who are wealthy and men. She assumes that her audience has never worked for a low-wage job. This can be seen by the fact that near the beginning of the piece, she describes what it is like to work on your hands and knees. Furthermore, Ehrenreich assumes that her audience is not appreciative of women in society and that her audience views women the same way the majority of society did, as houseworkers. Throughout the piece, she is constantly sticking up for other women who share similar experiences. This shows that she assumes that whoever is reading her piece cannot appreciate what women went through in order to achieve a sense of equality with men.
Matthew, you are on the right track here although "role of women in society" is very broad. There are many roles that women lead in society and only some are related to the tasks that fall under the category of housework. You propose that Ehrenreich assumes "...her audience is not appreciative of women in society" and this statement is too general. Much of Ehrenreich's essay involves the relationship between women and housework. She looks at women who are responsible for most of the housework in their own home, she looks at women who are hired to do these tasks professionally, and she looks at the women who hire other women to take care of these tasks in their own home.
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