What do you include in 'housework'?

[hugoagogo]

In order to collect some data on this subject (for my own nosiness and to prove me right)

Which of the following tasks would you classify as 'housework'?

Washing up/loading or unloading the dishwasher
Preparing and cooking family meals
Food shopping
Hoovering/sweeping/mopping
Dusting
Cleaning the bathroom
Tidying up
Clearing the table after meals inc. wiping
Emptying bins
Decluttering
Laundry inc. drying/putting away/ironing

All of it.

All except the second and third.

Yay straight away: you prove me right!

If you don't count cooking and shopping then that could be 8 hours a week difference. Hence people saying 'how on earth are you doing 2 hours housework each evening and still needing to do more at the weekend?'

Housework to me = cleaning, clearing and tidying. Not shopping or household admin tasks.

My dictionary defines housework as the work of running a home, such as cleaning , cooking and shopping

Same as Hecate

All of it ... Oh the joys

And who are you proving it to

I wouldn't count shopping either ~ I don't know if it's because it's not in the house Never really thought about it. It comes under "all the stuff I do" in the same way that finding the best price for my gas and elec supplies does, or arranging the MOT does - it's a 'chore' but not 'housework', IMO.

Just to prove myself right to me.

It occurred to me that this could be one of the reasons behind some disagreements.

I don't mean to imply any definition is right or wrong.

housework, to me, is one of the parts of running a home.

Running a home (housekeeping) would include all the cooking, cleaning, childcare, taxi service, budgeting, admin, etc.

But dictionary or no, I maintain housework is simply the cleaning element of housekeeping.

(hence women used to be given 'housekeeping' money. Not housework money.)