According to a recent study, married or cohabiting women who work in traditionally female jobs spent more time on housework than those in traditionally male jobs, and their husbands (or partners) in female-dominated jobs did more chores in the home as well.
So, men who are in occupations where female workers are dominant, ie. teaching, childcare, or nursing, do more housework, while women who might work in the construction, tech, or sports fields do less.
These findings by Elizabeth Aura McClintock, a sociologist of the University of Notre Dame, come at a time when, no matter the industry or who’s dominating, women still earn less than men and 40% of all households with children under 18 include mothers who are either the sole or primary source of income for the family.
Talk about a work-life balance dilemma.
I had a recent discussion with a male friend of mine about household chores.
Him: Why do you want to hire a cleaning service? You should be able to do that yourself.
Me: Well, between editing, writing, attending events, and other things I have to do for my job, I haven’t the time nor the energy to give my place the full daily scrub down. I keep it neat, but I need that down-and-dirty clean up and organizing.
Him: You’re just lazy.
The nerve.
I’m not married—or cohabitating—but I’ll be sure to cite this study the next time he and I are discussing my evening plans that do not include giving the floor an extra scrub or taking that bag of laundry to the cleaners. The media and tech industries are both very male-dominated, so I’ll have that
much less guilt tonight leaving a fork or two in the sink.Do you find that the amount of housework you do is directly related to your day job? #Soundoff and follow Janell on Twitter @JPHazelwood.