This article caught my attention this afternoon, and I had to post about it. It was interesting and depressing at the same time to read that in the families profiled, that girls were doing more housework than boys were. But it leaves a lot to be speculated about; did they profile oldest children only? Youngest? I think that the birth order of a child has a LOT to do with the amount of chores they tackle. Comparing the oldest female child of 10 to the youngest boy of a family, who is also 10, doesn’t make the playing field level.
In my house at least, age is the determining factor of chores, and we are just at the beginning. My son is expected to clear his dishes and put them into the dishwasher, while my daughter just has to carry them to the counter. (The thought of her and any sharp objects make us shudder). They are 5 and 3 respectively, and I wouldn’t expect my daughter to ever do more than my son does. It’s not because I am oh-so progressive, but birth order has a lot to do with my expectations. When they are closer in age, they will both have the same amount of chores, and the same type. Let me assure you, my son will know how to do laundry, clean a house and cook for himself. Amen to that. His future partner can start thanking me now.
I wonder though, how obvious is it in these families that the sister is doing more than the male? If my daughter came up to me and mentioned that she was doing more, I would definitely take a look at what was going on so it would be fair. Do the boys notice, as stated below? Are they really noticing that their sisters do about 7 minutes more of chores a day? (it was 50 minutes more a week). My guess would be no, but that they definitely DO notice their parents attitude towards gender stereotypes and perpetuating them with words, not just actions.
Boys who see their sisters do more chores won’t likely grow up to do their fair share of housework as adults, she says, and the fact that kids are taking on more housework for their fathers but not their mothers is “just depressing.
The fact that children might be working harder at home because their dad’s are at work more IS darn depressing.
Lots of food for thought, that’s for sure.
It's a really vague article. It doesn't mention what kind of chores it's taking into account. Boys in general do more “outside” chores… shovelling, mowing, taking out garbage etc. And some of those chores may be more physically demanding than say vacuuming or wiping down tables. So there may actually be an equal division of labour amongst the siblings but factors such as time, physical intensity, etc. aren't taken into account.