Household Work Strategies and Suburban Homeownership in Toronto, 1899–1913

The dwelling reflects the employment situation of its occupants and enables them to engage in a particular level and combination of types of work (‘work strategy’). The growth of suburban homeownership in Toronto demonstrates the point. Ownership levels increased rapidly among all social classes. More middle-class women were doing their own housework. As a result they came to value smaller and more affordable homes. Many working-class men built …