According to experts, domestic chores are usually the reason why couples have fights. Most of the time, husbands expect their wives to shoulder all the responsibility for running the household. On the other hand, wives feel like their partners are treating them unfairly for not doing their part of the household chores.
A recent survey conducted by TheBabyWebsite.com showed that men and women still expect their partners to do certain things in the house. The chores that women expect their husbands to do were coined by the researchers as “blue jobs”, while the tasks that women did in the household were called “pink jobs”.
Included in the list of “blue jobs” were domestic chores like cleaning the windows, changing the light bulbs, cleaning up after dinner and investigating strange noises in the middle of the night. Among the “pink jobs” listed were replacing tissue rolls in the toilet, pack school lunches, attend school activities, remember birthdays and shop for presents. But most parents said that the responsibility of caring for the children lies in both the mother and the father. Although, in reality this is really not happening.
TheBabyWebsite.com’s director said that the division of labour doesn’t really depend on the ability of men and women to do tasks. Most of the time men are assigned to do hands-on jobs while women are expected to organize and manage the entire household. Researchers believe that the gender gap is something that is passed on from generation to generation. Men and women unconsciously take on certain roles in the house based on what they’ve seen from their own parents.
Is there such a thing as “pink-blue jobs” in your household? Are you happy with the way you and and spouse have divided household tasks among yourselves? Are there any tips that you can share with other parents that can help them run their household more effectively?