[Svartalfiar]

That may also be why in previous generations it was desirable to accomplish “woman’s work” while they weren’t watching, sort of giving the effect that everything just got done without anyone being devalued by being seen to actually do the work.

Previous generations? Pretty sure it's still happening :p
But part of it is just resistance to being told what to do. If the wife tells you to do something (vacuum the living room), you instinctively don't want to do it, or at least do it on your own time/schedule. We're like a dog: the idiot walks around the wrong side of the tree, so when you try to fix him, instead of walking back around the tree, he just fights your pull on the leash even more.

[BlackAdderess]

There was also a HUGE push that can still be found in all the old issues of the ladies magazines (postwar, when they thought they had it all figured out only to spawn the hippies in the next generation) to not be seen working, but instead to be all bathed, made up, and lounging when the husband got home from work. There is also the tradition in all the big houses with servants that the servants weren’t to be seen working but should accomplish everything around the aristocrats invisibly.