11. The Gilded Age was an age of household servants for the middle class
During the Gilded Age it was common for homes of the middle class to be employers of servants, often from the ranks of the immigrants which sought a new life in the United States. At the very least, a middle class home employed a maid, and usually a cook. A rise in status was reflected by the addition of a gardener and coachman/chauffeur, though it was not uncommon for that role to be combined. The servants worked under the supervision of the lady of the house, who thus free from the more mundane work of housekeeping was able to concentrate her time and attention to social activities in which she was interested.
It was the last period in American history of which household servants were common among those other than the wealthy. The introduction of many products which began during the Gilded Age rendered many servants unnecessary. Modern stoves and electrical appliances, and especially the manner in which they were marketed, made cooking more accessible. Electric cleaning tools such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines gradually replaced maids and laundresses. While servants remained common in American homes for decades, it was during the Gilded Age that their employment reached its peak, before modern conveniences and public attitudes caused their number to dwindle.