Men are doing as much housework as women..

< The Hour, have missed it totally, tho' seen the adverts for it>

for the OP, no way do blokes spend as much time in housework. I know I don't. I am constantly amazed at my ability to walk past stuff on the stairs/landing without a thought - not 'dirty stuff' just 'stuff' which belongs elsewhere. Vacuuming is done when really needed, and kitchen floor mopped when it gets soiled from the garden. Sort of thing. I am sure if a woman lived here there would be "conversations" had.

SGM - probably, yes. And it could be in concerns about care re children and having a safe, 'clean' environment. But also you are aligning social construction AND biological determinism as if they are obv. the same. IYSWIM. Idon't think they are at all.

It's not the ownership of the car Pan.

It's the ownership of the presentation of the car, the cleanliness of it.

I accept it taps into stereotypes. It happens to be what I've witnessed and experienced though.

I also agree that lots of women are more obsessional about cleaning their houses etc. than men, because they get judged on the cleanliness or otherwise of their houses, while men don't.

How many times do people point at women for not keeping a decent house, when there's a perfectly pro perly functioning man in the house, who is also not keeping a decent house, but somehow doesn't own the responsibility for htat. HOw many times are men referred to as "helping" thier female DP's with housework - because the responsibility is her's.

Well, that's pretty uneven HerBX. The sense of ownership over a car isn't really relevant here, and what you say is pretty much a stereo-type, to boot. I know lots of blokes, me incl., who drive around in mobile weeliebins, but have much higher standards when it comes to homes.

I am sure tarty is right in her assertion about the pre-occupation, relatively, about tidyness, that women exhibit as compared to males.

Oh I think there was something about this in the Times or Sunday Times lately, sorry I can't remember more!

I do remember reading it and feeling very sceptical though... it's very hard to know the real figures, but I certainly don't get the impression things are anywhere near equal on average yet. But there wasn't all that much information on where their figures came from.

OK tartydoris if you like.

I will merely say that when it comes to his car, every single man I have ever known, is far more obsessive about cleanliness and tidyness, than any woman I have ever known is, about her house.

Because he owns the car-tidying issue you see.

Hexbex, would you like to say anything about the point I have made?

I suppose mumsnetting doesn't count as housework...

"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.

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.

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

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 .

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

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.

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 .

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.