NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - For married women who can’t figure out why they always have so much housework researchers may have the answer — husbands.
A new study from the University of Michigan shows that having a husband creates an extra seven hours of extra housework a week for women. But a wife saves her husband from an hour of chores around the house each week.
“It’s a well-known pattern. There’s still a significant reallocation of labor that occurs at marriage — men tend to work more outside the home, while women take on more of the household labor,” said Frank Stafford, of the university’s Institute for Social Research (ISR), who directed the study.
“And the situation gets worse for women when they have children,” he added in a statement.
Stafford’s findings are based on 2005 time-diary data from a study on income dynamics that has been conducted since 1968 at ISR.
The researchers studied diaries to assess how people spent their time and questioned men and women about how much time they spend cooking, cleaning and doing basic work around the house.
They found that young single women did the least amount of housework, at about 12 hours a week. Married women in their 60 and 70s did nearly twice that amount, while women with more than three children spent 28 hours a week cleaning, cooking and washing. (excuse me can you say that again??!! I KNEW IT!)
But it’s not as bad as it used to be. In 1976 women did an average of 26 hours of housework a week, while men did about six, according to the study, (sorry Mom…)
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, sheesh, you could have just asked me! I’d have told you all this from experience. ;v)
Hmmm….I need to print this out and pass on next time hubby says anything about why there is a pile of laundry that is unfolded…LOL
You have to give guys credit…it seems once they get married they seem to forget where the cleaning tools are. New place, new enviroment, no map….or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. LOL
I believe it–and I bet having everyone home all day adds more, much more.
Don’ t you think it’s MORE than 28 hours a week?! It sure seems like it. I mean I never leave a room empty-handed. I always have stuff in my hands to take to its proper place in another room, the garage, outside, etc. lol To me, that means I am busy all the time. :0)
I always wondered why the house seemed to stay so much neater when hubby was gone on a business trip. Geez.
That is very very interesting.
Thanks for sharing,
Julie
I saw this in the news the other day and got a good chuckle out of it! Truthfully, I don’t think my hubby causes me as much work as my young adult daughter and niece who are living with us! Plus, my husband irons and does yard work, so I guess I really can’t complain.
Oh I KNEW it!! My house gets extra dirty on the weekends and the only variable is my husband. I should print this out and send it to him:) Too funny!!
did they really have to do a study about it? lol.. I knew it all along!
I saw this on Good Morning America … yesterday? today? Anyway — I just sat there shaking my head, thinking to myself… no wonder I’m tired all the time. A child. A full time job. A husband. A gazillion chores. Man oh man!!!
Well, THIS explains a lot! LOL Love it!
These figures don’t surprise me at all. Add forty hours a week working full time, plus commute time, and it’s no wonder women are chronically exhausted.
I totally believe husbands add at least seven hours. Totally. Even the good ones! LOL