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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Split of housework

30 replies

Sunnidayz · 11/07/2021 19:28

DH and I both work full time from home, we have no kids or pets.

I am feeling a bit annoyed because DH has been home all day and there was still dirty dishes in the sink from last night. I'd been out with a friend and am sorting dinner tonight, so I ended up doing the dishes as well. He's watching a TV series.

I do the majority of the meals, I don't really cook from scratch very often because I'm not that great at cooking myself and he's super fussy about food (has Asperger's and there's lots he won't eat due to textures etc) but as it stands I sort dinner for us both around 3 times a week, we usually get a takeaway at the weekend or sometimes go out for dinner. I try to have a couple of nights where I cook for myself so can have healthy food/eat the things I like that he doesn't. He will cook (burgers or pasta) once a week usually.

Housework wise he will occasionally do the dishes and hoover. He said he likes hoovering. He does forget sometimes (says he doesn't see any dirt etc) so I sometimes end up doing that as well. I do majority of dishes (previously we'd have it done by whomever wasn't making dinner) but now he's said whoever makes dinner should wash up too. Occasionally he will start washing up himself and I feel guilty about it for some stupid reason.

I clean the bathroom, wash towels and bedding and hang it out (both do our own clothes). Put bins out and bring it in. Mow lawn and other gardening stuff (including trimming tall tree branches). I also do all the driving as he doesn't have a UK licence yet, and handle all the life admin, bills and appointments, most holiday bookings etc. He gives me some money each month toward bills.

Should he be pulling his weight more? I suggested a rota once and he just laughed. Just feeling a bit annoyed tonight I guess, shame because I had a nice day.

OP posts:
Naunet · 11/07/2021 19:36

Well let’s see, two adults live in the house, but should 1 do 90% of the housework whilst the other does 10? I can’t see any reason for why that would be fair, can you?

category12 · 11/07/2021 20:18

If he "forgets" to hoover and it's his shore, why do you do it? Surely you just say "oi fishface/darling, you haven't done the hoovering".

When you say he gives you "some" money - is that actually a fair contribution?

Why are you going along with the idea that whoever cooks should also wash up?

Ugh, basically, you're two adults, you should be doing equal shares of what needs doing and paying fair shares of the outgoings.

If you see this being a long-term relationship with kids in future, fgs get it sorted out now. As afterwards you're fucked.

category12 · 11/07/2021 20:18

chore not shore

Unanananana · 11/07/2021 20:28

Do you enjoy being his mum? 'Not seeing' what needs to be done is utter bullshit. He is an adult.

TwilightSkies · 11/07/2021 20:31

He won’t change. He really won’t.
How is the relationship otherwise?

Sunnidayz · 11/07/2021 22:42

I know it's infuriating but I sometimes wonder if I'm being silly or just imagining it!

Relationship isn't that great so considering my options. Kids are not on the agenda. He's a nice guy and we get on ok most of the time but lots of miscommunication and occasional drama and he spends a lot of time alone. I just wish he'd get on with some housework while I'm doing other stuff so it's done quicker. He's binge watching a show tonight so been sucked into that.

OP posts:
Unanananana · 11/07/2021 22:51

He sounds more awful with your update. Don't get in any deeper with this man. He won't do anything as he knows you will do it in exasperation. Do you want to live like that? The resentment will become overwhelming.

YeokensYegg · 11/07/2021 23:35

He's lazy. He lives there and needs to look after his house too.

You didn't say how long you've been married but if he has another drivers license from his country, he can drive on that until he can get the new one.

fabnot · 11/07/2021 23:35

Life is too short for this. I assume you are young. I was in a similar situation a year ago with kids. Feel sad about the relationship breakdown but the freedom - is fantastic.

thefourgp · 11/07/2021 23:45

He’ll never change. If you want to be in a relationship with a man who does his fair share of cooking/cleaning/responsibilities then you need to have that dynamic from the very beginning.

You’ve accepted him for who he is and what he does. You accepted that when you decided to live together and when you decided to marry him.

I’m not criticising, I made the same mistake and so have countless women. We don’t prioritise a man doing his fair share when we first meet because we have love goggles on and it kills your love and respect for him down the line when you realise you’re being treated like a servant instead of an equal partner.

He’ll never change.

HalzTangz · 11/07/2021 23:57

Bring in a rota.
Cooking should be 2 or 3 times each a week with remaining days takeaway/eat out.
None cool to wash up.

category12 · 12/07/2021 07:54

What's the point of him?

CastawayQueen · 12/07/2021 14:54

Useless. Get rid of him.

AryaStarkWolf · 12/07/2021 15:28

He decided that whoever makes dinner also washes up did he? Is he your boss or what? Why are you letting him get away with treating you like his servant?

layladomino · 12/07/2021 18:35

Please don't accept this. It doesn't get better if you ignore it, and it tends to represent the other person's general approach (which means they are lazy, and don't mind putting on someone else so they can have more time to do what they want / see you as a lesser person who exists to clean up after them). You will end up wasting your time mothering him, which before long turns to resentment and you no longer fancy them (how can you fancy someone who treats you like their mum?)

There are plenty of men (all the decent ones) who expect to divide the workload 50/50 - for your own sanity and health, please find one of those.

blubberball · 12/07/2021 19:16

Just, no. I was married to one of these (except that he didn't have Asperger's). They don't change, or get any better.

updownroundandround · 12/07/2021 20:07

@Sunnidayz

He has Aspergers, he's not blind/stupid and he's also selfish and lazy too !

Sit him down, and get him to read this, and if he tries to argue, tell him you've had enough of him treating you like his mother ! He's an adult, so either grow up or fuck off !

Why I Don't Help My Wife
Recently, I invited a friend over. Sipping coffee in my living room, the conversation turned from movies and sports to life. We are both about the same age, and both have been married for about the same amount of time. As we talked, I heard the loud clamoring of the dishwasher stop as it finished its final cycle. Excusing myself, I told my friend I must put away the dishes.My friend shot me a glance: a shock of disbelief, almost defensive in posture. He told me that it's great that I help out my wife, but that he doesn't bother. “Every time I do chores,” he said, “she doesn't have an ounce of gratitude. If she's not gonna thank me for helping her out, why should I even bother?” This startled me. I'm normally not a confrontational kind of guy. I don't like to talk about politics, and I usually keep my comments to myself. But this was too much. I couldn't contain myself.“Look man, I said, I'm not 'helping her out. My wife doesn't need 'help.' She needs a partner. The two of us are a team.” He started to reply, trying to explain what he meant by the comment, but I stopped him, continuing:I don't “help” my wife clean the house. We keep our house clean because we both live here and want the house to be clean. I clean the house because it's where I live, and my wife isn't a maid, but a partner.I don't “help” my wife cook because it's not her job to cook and my job to eat. We both live here, we both need to eat, and in order for us to eat, the cooking needs to be done.I don't “help” my wife do the dishes because they're my dishes, too. I eat off them, just like her, and it's in both of our interests to have them be cleaned.I don't “help” my wife with her children because they're my children, too. They need a mother and they need a father, and raising them is both of our jobs.I don't “help” my wife clean, fold clothes, do laundry, or any other chores because they aren't only “hers,” but mine.I'm not only a “help,” a hired hand that helps my wife out on occasion in exchange for a “thank you,” a kiss, or sex. I am a part of the house.Then, I turned back to my friend, his face tense with embarrassment. I was now in my full preacher mode, and it was time to charge my audience with conviction. I asked him “do you thank your wife every time she cleans the house?” He clamored to defend himself, but I continued: “I'm not talking about a half-baked “thanks” that you mutter from across the room, but actually looking her in her eye and saying that you appreciate that she worked all day to help you take care of your home!” “Do you look her in the eye and tell her she's fantastic, beautiful, the best thing that ever happened to you and that she means the world to you?” “Do you tell her how much you love that she keeps your house clean?”You should not “help” your wife with the chores in exchange for some kind of prize. What prize does she get for helping you out? You need to get out of this “Leave it to Beaver” mentality, step out of TV Land, and step up and be a real husband.My friend stood speechless, flabbergasted, fumbling to find an excuse. I shrunk in slight embarrassment for a moment, even though I knew it had to be said.I spoke again to break the silence: “I'm just saying man, your wife doesn't owe you anything. She's not your “help,” and you should treat her like an equal partner.”Many of us were raised in home with mothers who waited on us hand in foot. We took their help for granted, because they had to raise us and take care of us. But your wife is not your mother. She's not raising you, and you're not a child. Marriage is an equal partnership. Your wife is not your mother, and she's not there to take care of you.You are there to take care of each other, to have a house together, raise children together, and form an equal partnership. That means each of you carrying your share of the load, and thanking each other for help. Macho culture would make you think that everything is your wife's job, but there's nothing macho about this. It's the behavior of a child who needs to be taken care of, not an adult who can provide in a partnership.Imagine a child who constantly demands help from his mother, constantly makes messes, and never thanks her for anything. That's basically how you act towards your wife. That might be acceptable for a young infant, but not for an adult. So thank your wife for what she does, and make sure that you carry an equal share of the load, helping her in any way possible.When you make a mess, you shouldn't expect your wife to clean it up. It's your job to clean up your own messes. You both live there, you're not “helping” her with anything because it's your home.Likewise, it's not her job to constantly cook. In my home, I always do the cooking, because I'm good at it.These “traditional” roles were sold to us by fictional television. They say nothing about the reality of marriage. If you step all over your wife like Homer Simpson, you are on a one-way street to a divorce.So to everyone out there who is concerned about their own masculinity, if you want to be a macho man, stop acting like a child and making your wife do all the work and chores. Thank her, and do your part to contribute.

And remember, if you want something you’ll find a way, if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse !!

burritofan · 12/07/2021 20:12

he's said whoever makes dinner should wash up too.
I bet he did, since you do most of the dinners. That’s the exact opposite of most people’s rule! Dinner maker doesn’t wash up is so bog-standard it’s practically enshrined in law.

I suggested a rota once and he just laughed.
I suggest you dump chuckles, who sounds like not much of a catch, and go solo – 100% of the chores, yes, but with none of the dead weight it’ll feel like a fucking holiday in the Maldives.

aubreyii · 12/07/2021 20:19

Don't put up with this kind of shit from any man.

Sunnidayz · 12/07/2021 23:27

Thanks everyone, you're right I need to stop accepting this shit. I'm in my 40s so not young and can't see me getting with someone else because I have never had any luck with men not even in the short term. Coming up for 2 years of marriage, he was able to drive over here for a year but will need a UK license now if he wants to drive.

I'm a bit of a doormat who hates confrontation, he's said I should tell him if he's taking the piss and he's right, I need to stop accepting it and get him told. Also I grew up in quite a gender roled (is that the correct phrase?) household with my mum doing the majority of the cooking and housework however she didn't have a job outside the home unlike me! I only have so much time on my hands and shouldn't be shouldering all the chores. He does get a bit funny about perceived "judgement" for not doing things the "right" way I've cleaning dishes and hates being watched or if I am hanging around the room when he's doing it.

The quote about the guy not helping his wife with household responsibilities is great and very true. I might let him see it when I'm in a not giving a shit mood and see what he says.

OP posts:
category12 · 13/07/2021 06:21

So go in another room if he's doing housework.

Have the conversation - "look dude, I'm doing much more of the chores than you, and it is 2021, so you know, let's have some equality, I am not your maid and I also work full-time. I will have equal leisure time to you."

  • Make a list of everything that needs doing and its frequency, and divvy it up between you.
  • Make sure you don't take all the shittiest dirtiest jobs.
  • Don't do his jobs if he doesn't do them.
  • Don't comment on how he does them, as long as they are done.
category12 · 13/07/2021 07:58

I don't think it's your job to "get him told" tho - that's him abdicating responsibility again, putting it on you to "nag" him - which will then lead to him whinging / laughing at you. Plus it's horrible for you to be put in that position of having to ask/remind him.

You need to agree jobs between you and he needs to take responsibility for doing them like the grown adult he is, not expect you to chase him to do them. You're not his mum and it's not sexy to be forced to be.

Currently you have the worst of all possible worlds. If it was traditional roles, he'd be paying all the bills, and if you did work, it would be for pin money for ribbons and hats Grin - and he'd still come home and do the "blue" jobs like garden, car and bins.

Or he'd be down the pit for 14 hour shifts and when he came home and got in the tin bath, clipping the kids round the ear affectionately as he went, he'd be handing over his wage packet, and you'd give him back a couple of quid for the pub on Friday night Grin.

In the absence of that, he needs to pull his fucking weight at home.

Comedycook · 13/07/2021 08:13

Don't have kids with him. He won't change

billy1966 · 13/07/2021 10:29

He sounds like a lazy waster and you are a doormat.

Only you can change this.

Why you would want to be with someone like that, only you know.

Stop doing anything for him.
Spell it out to him.

Look at your options.

Taliskerskye · 13/07/2021 10:40

I would leave. It’s never going to get better and you don’t actually sound like you’re happy in many many ways.
Why do you feel you have to stay in such a depressing marriage

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