You comment reminds me of this article that I can't put my hands on, that explained that the generalization of washing machines actually increased work time in some situations, because with it came the expectation of wearing cleaner clothes.
I think I use much more utensils, pans and plates than in those times. Cups too. Also I wear clean underpants everyday ( well, this is a small lie ).
I fix and change secondhand clothes, but I do have a sewing machine. Other things I fix were unfanthomable then, some fixes take weeks. My Selectric III for example.
It isn't clear. I'm sure I wash my clothes more than they did. I suspect dishes to them were rarely washed, while wash every use. Sure I have machines to do the work, but I suspect I spend more as much time, but im getting better quality results.
The wild part is that a human being surviving in much of the world today has to know essentially nothing at all about how to survive in actuality. They just need to find a way to get money in one way or another.
My father had a 40 hr work week and did not do sports, neither did my mother.