Domestic Bliss?

Yet another study has concluded that a typical working mother spends 70 hours a week on domestic chores and that if she was paid the going rate for it she’d earn an extra £37,000 a year. In the survey, 1,800 men and women were asked about everyday chores, such as the laundry, cleaning, cooking, food shopping, looking after children and helping with homework. At least two-thirds of women said it was usually them who carried out the tasks, with one in five men admitting to doing nothing at all around the house. http://www.flickr.com/photos/strocel/ I don’t know about you but I find this study annoying on so many counts. Firstly it seems like every week a study comes out telling us the obvious that women work hard. Though in this case, who has the time to also do 10 hours of chores a day? I work from home and tend to do about 3 hours tops and even the stay-at-home mums I know aren’t hoovering and wiping bottoms for two thirds of their day. Secondly some of what constitutes a ‘chore’ in this survey such as childcare and homework is surely just part of being a mum? Lastly though some men are indeed housework-shy and many certainly do less than their partners often this is down to the fact they aren’t at home as much. In my own house I tend to do 90% of the household chores and this is mainly due to the fact that I am here and it’s easier to clean as I go then let my house resemble a sale at Poundstretchers. I’m not sure what the aim of all these studies are because they certainly don’t offer any solutions or advice. If anything they make me feel resentful and bitter so I wish someone would do a survey on something more helpful. What do you think? Do these ‘studies’ makes you feel better or worse about your life? Let us know.