The good news is that men will one day do as much housework as women. The bad news is that day is 39 years away.
An international study by academics at Oxford University in the UK found that, if men continue to pick up household chores at their current rate, they will be doing their fair share in 2050.
Researchers studied housework diaries of people from 16 countries, including Australia, over 40 years. The time women spent on chores dropped from 360 minutes a day in the early 1960s to 280 minutes in the early 2000s.
Men’s daily chores time rose from 90 minutes to 148 minutes in the same period.
One of the main barriers to shared housework was a perception that certain chores, such as cleaning, cooking and caring for children, were seen as women’s work, while repairs, car care and gardening were seen as men’s work.
One of the researchers, Oriel Sullivan, said the gap is closing slowly. “Even though women are still responsible for the major share of unpaid work, studies suggest that the gender gap in the time spent doing both paid and unpaid work is closing slowly.”
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