Clare Balding: 'Playing sport has power to cut teenage pregnancy, obesity and female youth offending' The archive, which already has more than 1,200 images, launches today, and is being hosted on a website called HistoryPin, is calling for members of the public to upload their photos dating back to the 1950s to show how technology and energy have changed their lives - particularly in the home. A woman heats water to have a bath in the 1940s - one of the images from the archive. Unsurprisingly, the archive being centred around "home and hearth" and all that, is specifically focusing on women and how innovations such as the fridge and the washing machine, liberated them beyond belief. Women in the 1950s and 60s spent more than 40 hours a week doing housework. That's more time than the average full-time job nowadays - as women mangled clothes by hand, shopped every day for fresh produce (as only three per cent of homes had fridges in the 1950s) and just kept cleaning. Balding, who will be submitting some of her own images from her family history, says she was drawn to the project as she has always been very interested in "social history" and the reasons for "why we live as we do." Plus the women's angle intrigued her. Gadgets are usually seen as the preserve of men and everyone talks about the invention of the telephone, computer and TV - which are important but the creation of these domestic appliances, powered by energy, have been more essential in the grand scheme of things. "These gadgets did more to free up women to live their lives and go to work - then the iPhone and the iPad - as I sit here with both," jokes the ever down-to-earth Balding. Championing the fridge When asked what her favourite home appliance is - Balding briefly toys with picking the washing machine (usually responsible for washing said pop socks when she isn't on the road), but then eventually settles on the fridge. "The fridge is not glam - people take it for granted - therefore I am going to champion the fridge," Balding declares in her trademark enthusiastic style. My extraordinary grandmother bought me a mini fridge for me when I was studying at university (in 1990) and it was just great - I could make everyone a cup of tea in my room - with milk and everything. I even adorned it with pictures, postcards and little stickers of mottoes I was into at the time. One of them actually said "Don't f*** with me"! As in, leave the contents alone," she chuckles. Everyday sexism That "don't f___ with me" motto has stood Balding in good stead to challenge the sexism she says she still sees every day - particularly in her area of sport - despite having finally now convinced her famously skeptical father (Ian Balding, the Queen's former horse trainer) that there isn't a presenting job she couldn't do because of her gender. Even the day before we meet, she had to have a go at the blokes on Radio 4 for dismissing the fact that there wasn't a single woman on the 2011 shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) as "not a big deal." Balding says that she "just had to deal with them" but then quickly calm down before she found her way onto the Daybreak sofa to discuss the 2012 list. Jessica Ennis has become a national hero after winning Gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games This year, which has been an incredible one for women's sporting achievements, Balding is much happier that there are five women on the SPOTY shortlist and doesn't support some calls for there to be a separate women's category. And it is that "can do" attitude of Balding's and her desire to compete on an even playing field - which so typifies her lovely approach that appealed to the nation to such an extent during the summer of sport. And also makes me want to be her new best friend by the end of our chat. The power of women's sport Sexism is one of those things which happens all the time. I see it particularly in sport. However, I think women playing sport has the capacity to change attitudes to women on a national scale," Balding, suddenly serious, explains. I know women playing sport leads to a different type of emancipation. Yes, it gives them physical strength, but it also gives them confidence - not to mention brilliant time management skills. Unless women's sport gets covered properly in the media and the participants are allowed and opinion and a public profile, it cannot have the effect on women in schools it needs to have. Give women's sport a proper opportunity, a proper window and then let's look at the figures in 10 years time of teenage pregnancy, female obesity, female youth offender, women in work - and see whether they have improved. And I think it can happen," she compellingly argues. Balding says the "women's mags" have got it now, but is waiting to see if they continue their love affair with the likes of Jessica Ennis next year - in a non-Olympic year. "That's the real test," she says. The f-word Unsurprisingly Balding has no problem declaring herself to be feminist. She doesn't understand women who balk at the word out of fear of "negative connotations" - but equally admits that Caitlin Moran's book, How To Be A Woman (which Balding regards as "the most important feminist tract of this generation" despite finding the first three chapters a "bit gory") has helped a lot of women re-embrace the f-word. "I think if you look every day for an example of sexism, you will find one but it's how you deal with it that matters," she advises sagely. Balding is currently in the process of re-educating her nephew who recently questioned her decision to buy her little niece football boots - because "girls can't play football" he told her. Big mistake. "And he's only four with that view," Balding squeals in amazement. Taking it a step further, she says she would love to see mixed football being played in schools - as it's one of the only team sports which isn't about collision or strength. It's all about skill and tactical awareness and she thinks schools need to be more open-minded about sport and aware of its impact on societal attitudes. Dismay about women's bishop vote Obviously captivated her niece, Flora, (as well as her cheeky-sounding nephews) Balding, a paid up member of the Church of England is really dismayed by the General Synod's recent decision to not admit women into the House of Bishops. Gosh it was so sad - seeing all those photos of people in the Church crying and hugging after the decision. How can there still be a job that women cannot get because of their sex in the 21st century? How can I tell Flora there is something she cannot ever do because she is a woman? Brilliantly, Balding confides, the day the General Synod's decision was announced, she finally replied to an invitation to speak at a male-only private members" club. "I declined because I just cannot endorse anywhere or something which would exclude me because of my gender - but that day, above all others, I was feeling particularly focused as I wrote back to them," she explains sporting a wry smile. Balding is optimistic that things keep changing for the better for women in British society. She says she and her female sport presenter colleagues, such as Gabby Logan, are no longer told they are one of the best women's sport presenters - just one of the best presenters. Male Page 3 anyone? She is also confident that Page 3 will disappear in her lifetime. You always have to ask yourself if something is suitable for the boys - if it's not - then it shouldn't be happening. Page 3 is a perfect example. Would it be OK to have a naked man on page 3 of a national newspaper? Of course it wouldn't. Men and women would both find that idea gross and absolutely disgusting. When asked about whether she would marry her marry her long term partner Alice Arnold (the former Radio 4 announcer and newsreader), with whom she had a civil partnership ceremony six years ago, should David Cameron finally get gay marriage through, Balding turns coy. "Well I don't know... I do like a party," she says softly, smiling while looking up through her unmistakable dirty blonde quiff. Balding may have graduated onto a "gorgeous fridge - a John Lewis thingy with an in-built wooden wine rack" in her home with Arnold, but she remains wonderfully true to the feisty and fun motto she once stuck to her very first domestic appliance. View images from "The Way We Used To" archive.