The middle-class woman was not expected to do any housework, so domestic help was essential. Servants, often young women from the country, had to work very hard for long hours, looking after the house and its many furnishings, ministering to the comfort and needs of the family, and providing the back-up for the complicated etiquette of middle-class life. With servants readily available, little need was felt for the development of labour-saving devices. As the century progressed, servants' behaviour while working, and even in their limited spare time, was more closely controlled by their employers. Uniforms made their position absolutely clear.