Women’s workload has increased from wfh

[Fluffyiguana]

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like their workload in the home has gone up so much since they started working from home?

I mean it makes sense with now having two adults in the house 24/7 rather than just a few hours in the evening and weekends.

I just feel like I’m spending my life loading and unloading the dishes, replacing toilet roll, vacuuming, taking the bins out and repairing and replacing household items far more often due to them being so much more in use. The work is never done!

DP does chip in but feel even between us there’s a lot more to do and refresh.

I did not appreciate how much of a difference it makes going out to a place of work 10 hours a day where they have a cleaner emptying the bins, hoovering and replacing kettles from over use!

There are definite advantages to wfh but this is a big disadvantage to me..

I work 4 days week plus occasional overtime, all from home. I'd like to be full time but it just seem impossible at the moment.

DH is full-time and the higher earner. However, I still earn a very good salary in a career that I spent 6 years training towards.

@woolflower having been there, done that and got the tshirt, I would wholeheartedly advocate for divorce. It's been bliss for me. My kids are fine. The pros is a very very long list, and 4 years in, I don't have any cons. I know it's different for everyone though, and I'm lucky financially.

Well, it's just me and DS2 at home and I've been WFH for years.
I guess there is more housework, but the flexibility that wfh allows me more than compensates.
I can bring the washing in if it starts raining. I can get those interminable small tasks done in my little breaks (my workstation locks down for 5 mins every hour) such as sort laundry, put the bins out, put the washing up away, chop some veggies, open the post etc. In longer breaks I can walk to the post office or do a bit of banking.

I've never claimed to have children or mentioned any tasks connected to children...

And I don't / didn't have a 2-hour commute... I didn't say that either.

You know sometimes it's ok to just think 'I disagree' or 'I don't relate to this post' and move on 😂

I don’t do more housework – I don’t see why I’d need to increase my hoovering. But definitely see the increase in plates and dishwasher use. That’s largely DP; when I’m on my own it’s largely unchanged, but somehow he can have a sandwich for lunch and use three saucepans, a wok, the box grater, nine chef’s knives and an egg slicer, and we don’t even have an egg slicer. He pulls his weight in doing the laundry mountain and he’s dealing with the post-Christmas recycling, so 🤷‍♀️

It's the partner making all the mess if you read all the ops responses. And then she responded to say she doesn't want to talk about the actual problem, which is fine and her prerogative, so the thread has moved on a bit.

I think the opposite. I work from home 3 days a month and I'm really busy with work but at least I can quickly stick the washing on/ hang it out between calls and stick the oven on to warm up so I'm ready to cook as soon as my working day is done.

In terms of plates I only eat leftovers for lunch anyway and would eat that at home or at work so it's not any extra work to put the bowl in the dishwasher at home. It saves over an hour per day commute and me being at home definitely doesn't create an extra hour a days worth of work. If children are at home that is completely different.

For me it’s so much better. I work from home 3-4 days a week. I can get stuff done before I start work, I finish at 5 so can get dinner started so I’m not rushing it after work or just chucking anything on, I can get a wash done on my lunch break.

My DP works in the office so it is just me at home which is maybe why it’s easier but it’s so much less stressful than trying to do stuff around a commute.

I've wfh for over 10 years and find that although I do more housework, washing during the day, I do less on the weekend. Thursday is my wash day so every time I get up to make a cuppa I put a wash on.

My DH is out of the house all day, but still does his fair share of housework etc, so I think it does boil down to what type of partner you have and their general attitude towards women and chores.

The house does get dirtier quicker tho with me in the house more, as a pp said bins need emptying more often, bathroom needs cleaning more and of course my tea and loo roll usage is higher than it would be.

But for me the advantages of wfh still outweigh the negatives.

I can't say I've noticed a difference. Couple of mugs and couple of plates - the dishwasher is still running once a day. Filling the coffee machine with beans more often - not a big chore. We are definitely spending less time doing housework at the weekend however, with no time spent on commuting and being able to do a load of laundry during the day.

For me it's running the washing machine and dishwasher while working or sewing a button on a school shirt whilst listening to someone make a presentation. I hoover, clean, hang loads of washing out etc on lunch or during what would've been my commute.

I'm working, it's just that being at home makes it possible to multitask whilst doing my job.

If it makes you feel better I do my in-tray and set the day's priorities hours before my working day starts and I'm often thinking about a work problem whilst cooking or washing up. I trynot to do it in the bath.

If I had someone in my team at a local office I would probably go in more than I have to. We save money on a dog walker and my husband can walk to work (he prefers to go into the office). Just easier to do things or get tea on or use less wrap around care

I wfh ft. Dh works ft outside the home. We have two dc. Sometimes he will come home to a sink full of last nights dishes as I've had a manic day, ate half a packet of crackers for lunch at my desk and not been for a pee. I'll say "sorry didn't get a chance to do the dishes today"

His reply is "its OK, I didn't either" and he rolls up his sleeves and does them.

I actually totally agree OP. I normally work a hybrid 50/50 WFH/office, 2 kids and DP, who normally works 4/5 days in the office. My point has been proven the last few months when DP has been WFH full time, and it’s been hell, even though he actually does a bit around the house (cooks most meals, some school/hobby runs, will clean if specifically directed) - but the absolute mound of shite he leaves around the place is unbelievable. Then this last week he’s been in bed with flu, and the place has been immaculate 🙄 - so it’s definitely a ‘him’ problem not all of us.

People shouldn't be skiving whether they're at home, the office or driving between appointments.
Flexible working works really well when you WFH because it's usually the 'home' things that people need flexibility with (doing some sport, school events, getting the boiler serviced, parcels arriving).

Totally get it.

Some things are admittedly easier. I can sling a load of laundry on while I make a cup of tea.
But I also have a husband who likes to cook from scratch and leave everything in the "zone of the dishwasher" to quote Michael McIntyre. This is also teaching the kids it is perfectly acceptable to dump dirty stuff there rather than actually stack the dishwasher in a manner that doesn't indicated a frenzied baboon did it.

He gets away with it because as thermonuclear as it makes me feel, he does do all the cooking and the mental load that goes with it.

It was lovely though to come home to a clean kitchen and living room when we were both out all day and the kids at school/childminder. No toys, no detritus, no crumbs on the floor and still some biscuits in the cupboard. But I think I have mostly gained rather than lost and the kids certainly have as we both used to do very long hours with a 3 hour daily commute each.

Dishes, ok - but surely just a mug and a plate from a sandwich/salad? Why are you spending more time hoovering and cleaning the bathroom? Just do what you used to. There might be a bit more to clean (shouldn’t be in a bathroom) but it won’t take longer to hoover up lots of fluff than a bit of fluff.

It hasn't increased for me because we both mostly wfh.
I have found I do more during the day and mine and DH lunchbreak is replaced with housework but that means less is left for the weekend/evenings.
I tend to multitask a lot so when making a cup of coffee also turn the washing machine on or after lunch then clean down etc.

I have WFH for about 12 years now.
I discussed the balance with my employer at the time e.g. putting on washing etc. Their view was that it was far less time than all the people sitting having long coffee breaks together, or gassing over the desks. I stopped feeling guilty at that point. So I did about 95% of the daily grind and got increasingly angry about it, and husband's lack of appreciation.

COVID came along and my husband who had claimed his job was not compatible with WFH had no choice. He finally started doing his share of the household for the first time in years. Fuck me, did he resent it when I wouldn't pick it all up again when he started going back to the office and tried to say he could no longer WFH.

One marriage crisis later, he lived on his own for a bit, never had the kids (their choice) but he discovered just how hard it is to work and do all the housework. We reconciled our differences (there were others!). Now he WFH 2-3, sometimes 5 days a week, fully flexibly and does his share.

I am currently on medical leave, and cannot do anything as I am non weight bearing. For the next few weeks, he has at least 95% of the housework, including school runs. I plan to milk it. 🤣

But your title is that it increases women’s workload. If it increases workload, it should be an equal increase, so I guess it does raise women’s as part of that but your implication in both the title and OP is that it’s just women’s workload that increases.
Though, having WFH during covid I don’t really see how it does.