Question

Fifteen-minute family dramas called soap operas aired on weekdays on the radio in the 1930s. Why were these dramas called soap operas? because they got their name from their sponsors, soap companies because they were targeted at housewives who did household chores because they were interspersed with advertisements for washing machines because they got their name from soap operas that were broadcast on television because a woman could wash one set of clothes during the program

Answer 1

So, what happened was that those operas had a lot of commercials during the shows  (for soup and detergent) directed at housewives that were thought to do the laundry during the show. The best answer is then this one:
because they were targeted at housewives who did household chores