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The Vatican has named the washing machine as a key contributor to women's liberation. In celebration of International Women's Day on Sunday, the official Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano published an article titled "The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax" where it lauded the humble home appliance for its role in promoting the emancipation of Western women. It claimed, "Some say it was the pill, others the liberalization of abortion, or being able to work outside the home. But the true contributor was the washing machine."
Do not underestimate, for instance, the Washy Talky, the world's first talking washing machine launched in India seven years ago, which tells housewives how to use the machine and thus, the paper said, made a big contribution to advancing women's rights.
Quoting American feminist Betty Friedan, it said the "sublime mystique of being able to change the sheets on the beds twice a week instead of once" gave women an image of great power.
The UK Independent commented the choice of the machine reflects Pope Benedict XVI's rejection of the contraceptive pills, adding that the Vatican chose it to avoid praising the single invention considered the biggest contributor to women's liberation in the academic and feminist world.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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