A Man’s Job
A Man’s Job
By George Anderson
It’s not enough to bring in a paycheck any longer. Men have to earn their keep doing laundry, cooking and all of the other household chores, which were once the sole purvey of
women during the original run of The Donna Reed Show.
According to The National Study of the Changing Workforce by the Families and Work Institute, “Fathers do about two hours of housework on any given weekday–that’s 42 minutes
more per day on average than in 1977. Meanwhile, mothers have reduced their daily chore time by approximately 42 minutes a day. “
Scott Coltrane, sociology professor at the University of California, Riverside, and author of Family Man told ABCNews.com, “What we’re seeing is the catching up of the
sexual and labor market forces, that men are picking up somewhat more of the slack at home. Men are slowly and sometimes reluctantly assuming more of daily tasks.”
Moderator’s Comment: What does the evolving household roles of men and women mean for consumer marketers and retailers?
We know of one household where the husband does the majority of the cooking and almost all the food shopping. The kitchen, however, remains her kitchen and
not his. Men are picking up more of the household duties but women are still there to supervise. [George
Anderson – Moderator]