to resent the stereotype that men can't multi-task and women can? It's the opposite in our house...

[PadDad]

My DW freely admits that I can multi-task whereas she cannot.

She HAS to focus on one thing at a time.

I can do quite a few things at once, to a reasonable degree of competence. Including participating in several conversations at once (contrary to the opinion of men expressed on another thread this morning).

Several conversations at once is my DW's idea of hell.

We're not the only couple like this, surely?

I'm afraid we fulfil the stereotype in this house. DH just cannot do 2 things at once. Especially if the second thing involves nappy-changing/bottom-wiping for his 2 younger DDs

nope stereotypical here.... dp cannot focus on 2 things at once... if he's at the pc he can't hear anyone talking, he can't make tea and toast simulataneously, etc. he has to focus completely on each job and then move onto another.

i can multitask, i couldn't get through the day if i couldn't with 3 under 5's!

poor dp just gets frustrated and angry trying

My dh is much more organised with sorting the kids lunches, making tea, and catching up on chores. He puts me to shame.

My DP makes a mean multiple yummy things cooked breakfast, but I get stressed if there are more than two things on the hob, vever mind co-ordinate the grill, the toaster, kettle for accompanying coffee etc. He is brilliant at it!

I'm a single dad. I have to multi-task to have a hope of getting through the day. I do prefer to concentrate on one thing at a time, though. Eg, while I can cook dinner and help the kids with their homework at the same time, I find it a lot better to sort the dinner out and then spend some proper one-on-one time with the kids.

I think what pisses me off most about the "women can multitask, men can't" stereotype isn't just that it's quite often wrong, but the implicit "...and that just goes to show that men are crap" low-level misandry that goes along with it.

DP def has trouble multi-tasking and has had to focus very hard this week to do so (I'm quite ill)

Indeed Snorbs - when DH decides to, for example, clean out one of the kitchen cupboards, he makes a far better job of it than I do, as he concentrates on it totally. Whereas I try to do too many things at once, and end up skimping on at least some of them.

Paddad - I think it is down to upbringing - I am sure that if my DH put his mind to it he could .... but somehow his mother has sold him the stereotype, brought him up to believe it and so he just doesn't ... trying to change it is like farting against thunder ...

I'm afraid YABU. Believe it or not this has been mapped in the brain - when doing a single activity men's brains fire off in one area. When women do the same activity, their brains fire off in many areas at the same time.

I think the conclusion drawn was that men tend to focus more specifically on what they're doing, but women draw in a broader range of knowledge and experience.

So as for your household, perhaps you have a more 'female' brain and your DW a more 'male' brain? It would be interesting if that were the case as it would support my cod psychological theory about couples...will start a new thread!

"...farting against thunder." Roffle - I can see myself stealing that one

MrsMerryHenry, have you got any references for your assertion about male vs female brain activity?

References!!

let me see if I can unearth something.

Ta. It would be handy, otherwise an unkind reading of your summary could lead to a conclusion of "Men can concentrate on what they're doing, while women get distracted by thoughts of frocks and kittens"

Hmm...it's proving harder than I thought. Not least because all the scientific papers I used to whiz through as a student now appear as gobbledygook .

I think this one says it - that men's brains are typically 'lateralised' and womens brains are not - i.e that one side of the man's brain is activated when for a woman it's the whole brain.

I might be wrong of course, perhaps I've completely misunderstood the scientific terms and in fact this paper is about pigeon sex...

Snorbs - how dare you misinterpret my words! Actually I was being kind to men as per your earlier misandry comment. Of course I think men and women's skills are equally valid and balance each other out...but I'd still rather be a woman!

There were lots of articles in The Times or somewhere a while ago where the author was saying a lot of these male/female stereotypes were a load of bolleaux. The one where females are supposed to say 20,000 words a day (or something) while men only say 5,000? That's just something someone made up once too and it has been repeated as a "fact" ever since.