Could a man handle living like a woman?

[mollipops]

The local radio station here is having a competition for men to live for two weeks as "women". Whoever can last the longest gets $10,000 (AUD) (which is about 3,300 pounds I think)!

I think it's a great idea! Of course, I don't really believe they can do it! Men just don't get it, after all, do they? Any ideas on what they could make them do to force them to "give up"?! I can only think of things like, wearing pantyhose, high heels and make-up; sitting down to wee (not having to put the seat down will be the only positive thing about that for them I think!); grocery shopping (preferably with a small tired and hungry child!); having a full body wax!!! All very stereotyped I know... But I think the clincher would be if they had to wear one of those pregnancy bellies! They strap on somehow, and weigh heaps...I'm almost positive they couldn't handle that! ("Oh, my back's killing me!"

Shame we can't make them have periods and experience the pain of childbirth - I guess a bikini-line wax might be torture enough for them! Any more ideas???

[WideWebWitch]

They should have to work full time and still be responsible for:

• Most of the washing and ironing of clothes
  
• Most of the cleaning
  
• Most of the childcare
  
• Most of the cooking and shopping

[Jaybee]

www - you have obviously got the wrong man!! Mine works full time, does most of the grocery shopping, does the cooking, will iron (albeit reluctantly) and also does his fair share of childcare.
I do work longer hours than him but I feel that we share the tasks that we have to do during the week giving us the weekends to spend together.

[Art]

Jaybee - how lucky! My dh is very willing but needs me to tell him to wash up, iron, clean, change a dirty nappy etc. He doesnt seem to notice that the sink is full of dirty dishes or the laundry basket overflowing.
If he spontaneously does a chore I am expected to congratulate and thank him profusely!

What a great idea for a competition! I agree - I doubt any of them can do it. Please keep up posted on their progress Mollipops.

[Art]

Do you think anyone would pay us $10000 to spend the evening in the pub after work, wash the odd dish now and then and play on the playstation for hours at a time? I can always dream...

[Hilary]

The thing my dh would really struggle with is me swanning out of the house early in the morning saying I'll be back briefly for tea but I'm out again tonight as he sometimes does and being the one to clean, feed and endlessly amuse our two, then just when he is tired starting on tea, bath and bed. He is very good with them but is the first to admit that he is not cut out for being the one with them constantly. He is a real one job at a time man and would look after the children ok but the house would look like thieves had been in and ransacked the place!

[Rosy]

Wickedwaterwitch is spot on with her use of the phrase "be responsible for". My dh is perfectly capable of cooking, shopping, looking after our dd etc. But I think he thinks that dd's clean clothes, nappies etc. just appear in her drawers, and her (and our) portions of food are miraculously prepared and put in the freezer in handy portions, and our holidays appear out of nowhere, houses and tickets booked as if by magic. I came home at midnight one evening last week and had to do the dishes before I went to bed (both of dd's cups were dirty, it's not like I can't leave dishes undone overnight once in a while). So however much he does around the house, if for any reason, he doesn't feel like it one day, or he's too tired or hungover to get up in the morning for example, it doesn't matter, because he's got a wife to pick up the slack. Wish I had one. (Sorry for hijacking your thread with a rant Mollipops - you no doubt meant it to be light-hearted.)

[Art]

Hilary, I think you hit the nail on the head, arent all men 'one job'men. Giving them two jobs simultaneously, like keeping an eye on the cooking while ironing or washing up while entertaining a grizzly toddler should sort out the men from the boys. Or should that be the women from the girls?

[SueDonim]

LOL, Art! My ds is studying psychology at uni and he says it's pretty much proven that men have a one-track mind while women multi-task. Apparently it stems from when men were out hunting and needed to concentrate to avoid becoming something else's dinner, while the women were busy gathering berries and minding the babies, close to home. It seems like society has progressed but the brains haven't changed quite as quickly!!

[bossykate]

how do we know that the women didn't go out hunting back then with the men looking after the babies and gathering berries? or for that matter that the men didn't take the babies out hunting with them? the trouble with using "evolutionary" arguments to explain society now is that we look back having been conditioned by our own society, therefore reflecting our own present day assumptions about how things used to be... reinforcing today's stereotypes in effect.

sorry, suedonim, not a pop at your dh. my dh is a post modernist academic so conversations along the lines above are standard dinner time fare in our house! it hurts my head sometimes, what's a poor accountant to do?

[bossykate]

of course i meant your ds, not dh.

[SueDonim]

Cave paintings show the men hunting animals, so I suppose that's one source of 'evidence'. I can't, in truth, say that I've spent much time thinking about it - too busy minding the babies and gathering foodstuffs in the supermarket, lol!!

[mollipops]

Thanx everyone for your ideas...it has been a very hot topic on the radio this week! On both sides actually - most of the male callers reckon that women couldn't handle living as men! HUH! The fact is many women already do basically the same stuff as a lot of men (possibly minus the playstation lol), but they have all this extra stuff on top of that! The only disadvantage that springs to my mind is having to shave every day...my dh whinges about having to wear a tie every day too - but I'd prefer that to wearing a bra every day!

Anyway, they are still auditioning men to take up the challenge, so it hasn't started yet, but I will keep you posted!

[Copper]

I've been ill at home all week - too ill to do anything except stay in bed and call feebly for a drink every now and then. My husband has coped with sick wife, daughter attending special prizegiving with parent in attendance (clever girl), 8th birthday (with postponed treat rather than a party, thank goodness), packed lunches, food shopping and preparation - while trying to work at home to a near deadline.

It's been a real education for me. Things haven't been done the way I would have done them, but everyone has survived, daughter delighted at her big day out, son claims his birthday was the best ever. Piles of washing and the house is a mess. Husband exhausted. What has surprised me more than anything is how lovely it is to slow down, not to run about doing things all the time, and how much the kids appreciate time spent with them not doing very much at all but spending time with them. Proud of them all - and not looking forward to all that washing. Still, at least it's good drying weather ...

[Ailsa]

Given the choice, do you think men would rather shave, or, have periods?

[ChanelNo5]

I'd love to see a man put on a pair of 10 denier tights without laddering them (but that's enough of my strange fetishes............)

[mollipops]

Lol Chanel, and I'm pretty sure I know what I would choose if I could Ailsa!

Sorry to hear you have been so unwell, Copper... Isn't it nice to see how the family can cope without you...and yet at the same time isn't it a bit disconcerting how the family CAN cope without you!!!??? Hope you are up and about again soon

[Hilary]

My dh says he couldn't be a woman (apart from obvious barriers like being a man already!) because of all the insecurities women have about themselves, their bodies and everything else. Maybe that says more about me than about him...

[CathB]

dH is really offended at the suggestion that men cant multi-task as that what he does at work.. Hmm, all I can say is that is when he looks after dd, he looks after dd, he does not keep up with catering, washing up, tidying up etc etc.

Why is it 1) that men can drive hifi/computers of dizzying complexity but cant work the washing machine
2)That when you moan about the general filth levels, your standards are too high and you should relax...No man ever says this chaos is obviously getting to you, let me help...

Actually, dH is not too bad, but I get so fed up having to ask him to do things all the while!

[Tillysmummy]

CathB - my DH is exactly the same when he looks after DD - he does that really well and he's an excellent daddy but he is only able to do one thing at a time, no sorry two, look after her and watch the cricket, rugby or whatever other sport is on. But he can't seem to do the dishes or anything else !

[Rhubarb]

My dh probably could live like a woman. He does his own washing (knows how to work the washing machine better than me!), he can cook (mainly curries but it counts!), he will do the washing up without being asked, he knows what to get from the supermarket and he will tidy up. The only thing he doesn't do is change the sheets, but then if I left them long enough he might.

He's also been to mums and tots when I was too ill to get out of bed, he didn't seem to mind! He's much more relaxed than me, and though he can't do more than one task at a time, he never gets into a panic, things just get done much more slowly. I read about all these other Mumsnetter's husbands and I feel really lucky that I have my dh - God Bless his mother I say!

[Tillysmummy]

Hi Rhubarb,

My dh does all the same, washing, cooking, shopping, housework etc but just can't seem to do anything else while looking after DD !!! I do agree though and constantly thank my lucky stars for my DH, especially when people I know have hubby's who aren't supportive or good with the babies etc. My DH has to much to do with our DD that I could happily leave her with him for days knowing he would be more than capable of looking after her.

[Rhubarb]

How old is your dd Tillysmummy?

[Tillysmummy]

Rhubarb, she's nearly 7 months.