I gave my dad a surprise visit the other day. As I walked in the aging front door, and entered into the solarium, I saw my kneeling father with a duster and broom in hand sweeping up a jumble of dirt from the tiled flooring. This image warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face knowing that my dad, a recent widow, was keeping up with the domestic chores. My father, possibly because of my mother, is a tidy and clean man. I am not sure if he takes complete pleasure in domestic work but it is in his character to keep an orderly and clean home.
Seeing my dad in his role as domestica, it made me ask if men actually enjoy domestic work or is it completely out of necessity or is it even a thought. We all know the stereotype that men are not domestic creatures. They are the breadwinners and housework is a women’s role. In recent surveys conducted the consensus is that men still contribute less to unpaid work generally because they work longer hours. However, even when out of a job, men still manage to do way less housework then woman.
According to the Time Magazine Use Survey data released by the Bureau of Labour Statistics claims that on an average day, 83 percent of women and 65 percent of men spent some time doing household activities such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or financial and other household management. In another survey men ranked high in Scandinavian countries in contributing to the domestic duties of a home. While Japan and Italy ranked one of the lowest.
Overall statistics reveal that there is still a huge gender gap in where men are still not sharing their equal weight when it comes to domestic work.
Good for you dad, for being a rarity.
