‘Mothers doing lion’s share of housework’

UK: Few responsibilities are equally shared between the sexes, according to a report into British family life. The study found three-quarters of fathers take on the bulk of home DIY projects, with a similar proportion of mothers doing the lion’s share of cleaning and cooking. “Despite talk of modern family life, old-fashioned stereotypical households are predominant,” said Ina Mitskavets, consumer and lifestyle analyst at Mintel, which carried out the research.

“Although there are increasing numbers of mothers in paid work, mothers still continue to be responsible for most domestic chores. Curiously, men indicate that a lot of household responsibilities are shared between partners, a sentiment not echoed by the women in our survey.”

The report also says the cost of having children means many couples are putting off starting a family until they have sufficient earnings to cope.

As a result, six in 10 families have an annual household income about the national average of £25,000, placing them in the ABC1 social category.

Daily Telegraph