Why do soap operas have bad reputation?

Soap operas have a bad reputation because they're known to be quite scandalous. That's why people love to watch.

I think because nowadays they do round-about with everyone, Man meet woman and cheats and then they make up and go back together again and then they do it again over and over, they marry someone else divorce and marry again over and over.. They keep on with the same ole storylines, and they don't break those cycles.  Mainly the reason ppl are losing interest these days. Its like they don'thave anything new to do.

Probably because life is often not really like it is portrayed on soap operas, and many events in them are not even true to what would happen in real  life.

Same as most fictional programs.eg: movies, tv dramas. 

Fictional programs always need to be exaggerated so they are very entertaining and watchable. Real life is mostly boring. But its still great escapism and a lot of soaps have stood the test of time.

Mainly, I suggest, because too many viewers think they are real -life when, believe it or not!, they are just a story.

Because they're formulaic garbage.  Look, take Westerns for example.  There are good Westerns.  But the VAST majority of Westerns are formulaic garbage.  They follow a standard pattern and set of tropes with only the details differing.  They were produces so prolifically that the term 'Spaghetti Western' was invented to describe how Hollywood mass-manufactured them.  The term is not a compliment.  It's like playing MadLibs where all you're doing is filling words into the outline.

Soap Operas are mostly like that.  They're poorly acted, poorly written, melodramatic garbage filled with cliches and repeating tropes meant to provoke fake tears from housewives who are bored to death watching the kids.

Now, that doesn't mean that something can't be soap opera-like and be good.  I loved the show Revenge and would admit that it was kind of soap-opera-y.  But it was well done.  But those daytime soaps - they're low tier garbage.  And in the modern day of streaming where housewives can watch GOOD content at any time of day, I think the only reason this trash survives is that many women are just in the HABIT of watching.

what else expect welfare sows to do during day

Because they are associated with being lazy and unemployed. They are usually aired during work hours so it's assumed whoever watches them is lazy and unemployed.