We were fortunate to be able to do that. We shared a single job until both kids were in school all day.
Having a stranger in our home caused more stress and annoyance than any benefit from having someone else doing the cleaning. As we do not have children, and our home is not huge, we split the housework. We do have someone come twice a year to do major garden work, but otherwise we prefer to do it ourselves.
During the times in our marriage that I was unemployed, part of my job at home was to look for a job. I also did most, if not all of the housework, cooking, making appointments, etc. While unemployed I have bought our first house, as hubby was out of the country and ended up signing a power of attorney so I could sign for him as well. Hubby’s travel, at that time, meant that he could do some chores, but I would have to take over his tasks, such as taking the car to get serviced, since his travel wasn’t always scheduled in advance.