Final answer:
New inventions changed women's lives by altering domestic work and creating new job opportunities, while also increasing domestic standards; these changes were a precursor to the modern women's movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
New inventions greatly transformed life for women, especially in the context of domestic and professional spheres. Technological innovations like washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and cooking appliances altered the domestic workload. While these labor-saving devices promised to provide women with more leisure time, they also caused an escalation in domestic standards, resulting in more frequent cleaning, elaborate meal preparations, and an increased overall expectation for domestic upkeep.
In the professional world, the introduction of the typewriter, cash register, and adding machine significantly changed office work, creating new job opportunities for women. However, even as inventions like the birth control pill provided women with greater control over reproduction, thereby expanding their horizons beyond the domestic sphere, societal expectations still often encouraged women to prioritize home and family over professional aspirations.
Ultimately, these inventions laid the groundwork for the modern women's movement, offering women the tools and resources needed to seek greater independence and equality.