MUMBAI: Do women clean the toilet more often than men? Who takes out the bins? And is it true that men have more time to themselves than women? Jane Garvey reports from the domestic battleground for the launch of Chore Wars, a week of programmes on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour that will try to answer the difficult questions about who is really doing what in 21st century British households.
Revealing the results of a ComRes poll examining the nation’s attitude to household chores – and, crucially, how the burden is split between men and women – Jane will invite Woman’s Hour listeners to calculate the division of labour in their own homes using a specially created online chore calculator. The calculator will enable listeners and their partners to find out who does what in the house, how much free time each member of the couple has, and how they compare to the rest of the population: is housework a cause of strife for them or are they a paragon of equality and teamwork?
Jane will talk to a range of studio guests about the implications of the poll, including Professor Jonathan Gershuny from the Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford, who will provide the historical context of the debate. The results of the ComRes poll will be compared with a 1947 Gallup poll into how much men “help with housework” to find out how things have changed over the generations. Theory will become practice when Jane is joined by Radio 5 live’s Men’s Hour presenter Tim Samuels to clean a house. So, who’s going to be wielding the toilet brush?
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Jane says, “Anyone who thinks this is trivial has never shared a home with anyone else. We are really interested in the division of labour in the home and how it has changed since women started to work outside it.
“Anecdotally women say ‘we are exhausted and he’s a lazy sod,’ but is it true? If you are in charge of putting out the bins, does that mean you get off the ironing? How many rows are rooted in anger and resentment about who does what in our homes and how often? Has Betty Friedan’s unfulfilled housewife just been replaced by a generation of women struggling to cope with too much to do both in and out of the home? Careers, social status and even your sanity can all be affected by this.”
Some listeners who have completed the Chore Wars calculator challenge will talk to journalist and broadcaster Emma Barnett later in the week about their own experiences and what they learned about their relationships from doing the Chore Wars calculator.
Alice Feinstein, Editor, Woman’s Hour says, “Woman’s Hour has always been interested in exploring the reality of people’s daily lives as well as examining the big issues that play out on the world stage. That’s why I have decided to shine a light on the division of household labour and the effect this has on people’s relationships.
“I hope listeners will find Chore Wars engaging, thought-provoking and fun, and that they will get involved with the Chore Wars calculator. This autumn we are also launching our General Election coverage, as well as focusing on the issues around historical cases of sexual abuse, maintaining Woman’s Hour’s reputation for high-quality and varied content.
Chore Wars begins on Monday 6 October on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and continues throughout the week.
