Men are doing as much housework as women..

[queenofthemojavewasteland]

According to my local DJ

After clearing up the coffee off my keyboard, I listened to what he was saying and he claims that (unquoted) American reasearch has shown that men are doing as much work around the home as women. He went on to say that 60% of men questioned did 2 hours housework a day can anyone tell me where this came from? I did email the DJ for info but he didn't get back to me.

Has anyone heard of this reasearch? How reliable is it? I cannot believe the figures he's quoted but if I'm proved wrong so be it.

[Paschaelina]

I dont know about the research but my DH is just as likely as me to do stuff around the house. We share it, it gets done, everyone's (relatively) happy.

[Paschaelina]

Oh and neither of us do 2 hours housework a day. Life's too short for that.

[MonsterBookOfTysons]

Well that is not true in my house. I make dinner, clean up and look after the dc, dh doesnt even bath them or put them to bed. He is a good dad really but is a lazy git.
Dh only puts out the rubbish

[queenofthemojavewasteland]

True, I don't think I do 2 hours a week, I'm just too lazy and i think OH would faint is I asked him to do 2 hours a day.

I suspect that this american research may have included DIY to boost the figures. I can't get my dad out of his garage, he claims he's helping everyone.

[TheCrackFox]

There was an article in the Daily Mail the other day which claimed that men were doing as much work as women. However, when you looked closely at the figures men were doing far, far more paid work and women were still doing far more childcare/housework but the total hours were roughly similar. Men still have the money.

[aliceliddell]

I'm fairly sure I've heard about some recent research with very different conclusions.

[aliceliddell]

No, of course I can't remember where.

[Ephiny]

I don't know anyone who does 2 hours of housework a day - are you sure it wasn't per week?

[TheCrackFox]

Does the 2 hrs include looking after their children?

I don't know anyone doing 2hrs of housework a day either. Still it might be possible if they do it really s...l....o...w...l....y.

[Yama]

It's true in my house. Not sure about the 2 hours per day. Depends on what you include. If household chores include cooking, bathing dc, putting dc to bed as well as cleaning then 2 hours per day is realistic.

[OrangeHat]

DH is pretty good in that he does anything if I ask/tell him, immediately (yes I know it's not perfect but that's where we are). He does do some off his own bat.

However he generates much more mess and dirt than me. So the work I do makes a difference, the work he does is just break-even with the amount of work he's created in the first place.

[Ephiny]

DP does at least as much as me too, though I don't think we're typical of most couples.

It seems really unlikely, given that SAH parents are overwhelmingly mothers, and surely doing far more housework than their partners/husbands? I wouldn't consider looking after children to be 'housework' personally, but usually the person at home is doing a lot more of the general everyday household chores as well, fitted around childcare.

[RedHotPokers]

Not in this house. But DH spends equivalent (if not more) time doing DIY so that's ok in my book.

[Paschaelina]

Well yes I would consider "housework" to be separate to "childcare". We share the housework, I do more childcare because I am deliberately at home to do it. He does his share of the childcare when he is here though. And I would much rather he took Boy off my hands at 6pm til bedtime to enable me to cook dinner/whatever.

[Lio]

Housework is shared equally in our house, but I don't know whether that's the norm. 2 hours a day sounds nuts.

[AwesomePan]

I think if you include 'contemplation time' re the housework i.e. 'I really should get those skirtingboards cleaned', 'wouldn't it be nice if..' sort of thoughts, then the 2 hours per day may be acheived. For blokes the contemplation time is replaced by 'strategic planning time' i.e what utensils, agents, personnel, tactical awareness, assessment and evaluation tools are all needed. Then a nice cup of tea to thing about the enormity of it all. Then a bit of a doze.

[Marne]

My dh does more than half the house work, only because apparently 'i don't do it well enough', he does most of the cleaning, washing up, washing, i cut the grass, put the bins out, cook and iron. Dh will sweep the floor at least once a day (moving all the furniture) which drives me nuts, i would be happy for it to be done a couple times a week. I do most of the childcare and dh never cooks. He thinks he does too much and i have got it easy .

[RedHotPokers]

Depends what you mean by housework.

Today I have done 3 loads of washing, folded and put away 2 lots. Probably took me 20 - 30mins in total, including sorting etc.

Cleaned round kitchen and swept floor, washed up random items, emptied dishwasher, emptied bins, stacked dishwasher. 30mins.

Cleaned bathroom, tidied toy boxes a bit, stripped 3 beds, made 3 beds. Probably 30mins+.

Went to supermarket and put away food on return. 1+ hours.

And its only 2pm. And most of my house is not clean and I am FAR from being houseproud.

[Paschaelina]

SGM If you ever come across the link again I would be very interested to read it.

[MrsReasonable]

It should be noted that said DJ only claimed that men were equal to women in time spent on housework - not that they were getting as much done .

[AwesomePan]

MrsR - to which the riposte is 'if womens work is never done, no surprise they aren't paid as much'. Gulp.

[TartyDoris]

I don't think men can be blamed. They don't have the same obsession with tidiness and cleanliness that many women have. I'm pretty sure the average single man spends less time doing housework than the average single woman does.

[HerBeX]

"I don't think men can be blamed"

LOL

No no of course not, on no account, ever.

Just off to read the rest of the thread now, having assured myself that the correct parameters have been established.