We are no longer living in the 1950s. It’s widely expected that husbands play their part when it comes to helping with housework and raising kids. Teamwork makes the dream work after all. But even so, you’ll often find that women do the bulk of the heavy lifting in the relationship, while men get praised for doing the bare minimum.
A guy recently opened up about a fight he’d had with his wife, and how he’d basically told her that she wouldn’t cope without him. Boy, did she prove him wrong. The woman iced out her husband and got on with it. Now he’s paranoid that she’s replaced him. And netizens are having a field day helping him see the light.
They generally have a good relationship, and he believes he helps out enough with the kids
Image credits: gpointstudio / freepik (not the actual photo)
But when he reminded her that he works all day, he wasn’t expecting the backlash that followed
Image credits: Yunus Tuğ / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: volodymyr-t / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Drazen Zigic / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: get-a-lifee
“Misogyny”: people gave their very blunt opinions on the matter
He revealed a week later that his wife was on a roll without him, and he was terrified
Image credits: syda_productions / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
“Are you really this daft?”People weren’t afraid to call out the husband
The guy posted an update, revealing that he’s done a lot of work on himself
Image credits: prostooleh / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: get-a-lifee
In yet another update, the husband came across as a completely changed man
Image credits: get-a-lifee
Traditional gender roles have shifted, but not enough, it would seem
Back in the ‘80s, a British survey found that 48% of people agreed that “a man’s job is to earn money and a woman’s to look after the home.”
Fast forward, and things have changed. In 2023, only 9% of respondents gave a thumbs up to that statement.
6,638 people took part in the British Social Attitudes (BSA) Survey, and more than three-quarters of them said domestic labour should be split.
Interestingly, in 1983, the female employment rate for 16-64-year-olds was 54%. By 2023, it stood at 72%. But despite more women holding down jobs, it turns out they’re still doing the bulk of the housework.
“When those who lived in mixed-sex households were questioned on what actually happens behind closed doors, 63% of women said they did more than their fair share of the housework,” reports the BBC. “Just 22% of men said they shouldered most of the burden, with 32% admitting they do less than they should.”
A recent American study arrived at similar results. Researchers from the University of Alberta found that the division of household labour remains imbalanced from young adulthood to middle age and even during child-rearing years, when men contribute less than normal.
“Women are still doing the lion’s share of housework years into their relationships, revealing an uneven gender divide that continues to linger,” notes the university’s site.
The team analyzed the trajectories of dozens of couples and looked at each person’s contribution to cooking, kitchen cleaning, grocery shopping, housecleaning, laundry, and overall housework from the ages of 25 to 50.
They also measured who was doing household chores at ages 25, 32, 43, and 50, while raising children.
“There were no tasks where men did the most or even where the work was equally shared,” revealed the study. “When raising children, men also contributed less than normal to doing the chores.”
The researchers said the findings fit with gender theories that suggest parenthood is an “institution that reinforces traditional gender roles.”
Many people praised the man for finally seeing the light
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