I used to think it was the sewing machine giving women more time. (A sewing machine reduced the time spent making a shirt from ten hours to one hour.) I've since change my opinion. It was indoor plumbing & the washing machine. Women are no longer compelled to go out to the local fountain to wash the family's clothing, where they have an excuse to gossip while they work. Now they have time, are looking for an excuse to get out of the house, run their mouths, while doing something that lets them work with their hands.