WHICH CHANGED SOCIETY MORE—THE WASHING MACHINE OR THE INTERNET?

WHICH CHANGED SOCIETY MORE—THE WASHING MACHINE OR THE INTERNET? The economist Ha-Joon Chang claims that the washing machine changed society more than the internet did. He elaborated on his argument in an interview with David Pilling in the Financial Times (November30-December 1). Chang says that he used the comparison to make the point that humble inventions can have big consequences. (He ventures that the importance of the internet has been exaggerated because most people who write about inventions are middle-aged men who have never used a washing machine.) Chang’s argument is that “mundane household technologies”—like washing machines and running water—“enabled women to enter the labour market”. Some of the consequences were fewer children per family and more investment in educating those few children.