If you’re someone who often finds yourself shouldering the majority of household responsibilities, you might not fully recognize just how imbalanced this division can be. It’s easy to fall into a routine where certain tasks become your sole responsibility, but this can lead to frustration. Here we explore some of the everyday chores that many women wish their partners would step up to share.
Handling the Laundry
Some men turn their noses up at doing laundry, much to the dismay of women everywhere. We suggest you encourage men to take over laundry duties occasionally, especially when there are kids at home. Discuss the ease of using modern washing machines and highlight how they need to pull their weight.
Grocery Shopping
Capital One Shopping says, “In households where a spouse/partner and children are present, 80% of women perform most of the grocery shopping.” It’s time for the men to take some more responsibility! Suggest that your partner accompanies you for grocery shopping or picks up items on the way home, and highlight the value of shared decision-making in household shopping.
Organizing Closets and Storage Spaces
Some men say they’re not good at organizing as an excuse to get out of this chore, frustrating women all over the world. If this is the case for you, try to highlight the mental clarity that comes with organized living spaces and encourage collaborative efforts in organizing shared spaces.
Managing Household Finances
No matter who the main breadwinner is, women often find themselves having to budget for house payments, bills, and groceries by themselves. As shared by Pew Research, “In 43% of all couples, it’s the woman who makes decisions in more areas than the man.” Discuss the importance of shared responsibility in budgeting and bill payments, and suggest scheduling regular financial check-ins together.
Tidying Up After Themselves
Many men don’t tidy up after themselves on a daily basis, leaving things around the house and dirty dishes in the sink. If you’ve got a man like this in your life, emphasize to him the importance of picking up and organizing his personal items, highlighting how this small act can significantly reduce clutter.
Assistance in the Kitchen
Cooking has long been seen as a woman’s duty. According to Gallup, “Women worldwide continue to cook more meals each week than men do.” So, it’s important to get the men of the household to help in the kitchen. Suggest simple tasks like chopping vegetables and setting the table, and highlight the importance of teamwork in meal preparation and cleanup.
Regular Dusting and Vacuuming
Some men don’t realize how quickly the home can get dusty or require vacuuming. Explain to the man in your life that this is an easy yet impactful chore that will really help you out, reducing the workload on your shoulders. You could also point out how modern vacuum cleaners make this task less daunting.
Yard and Plant Care
Unfortunately, some men don’t pay much attention to the yard, leaving all the work to you. We suggest encouraging him to take turns with gardening tasks like watering and trimming bushes and discussing the shared joy of maintaining a beautiful outdoor space.
Planning Family Activities
Unfortunately, most men leave the planning of family activities to women, who end up wishing they’d put more effort in. If this sounds like your situation, encourage him to take the initiative when planning outings or family activities. Highlight the importance of creating memorable experiences together and suggest sharing the task of researching and organizing events.
Taking Care of Pets
Pets are beloved members of the family, and everyone should play their part in helping to look after them. Encourage sharing pet-related chores like feeding, walking, and grooming. Discuss the bond that can grow from caring for pets together and highlight the shared responsibility of pet ownership.
Cleaning Bathrooms
Nobody likes cleaning the bathroom. In fact, as said by the Cleaning Institute, “It’s number one on the list of the least favorite cleaning tasks.” Nonetheless, it’s important to maintain a clean and hygienic bathroom. If the man of the house doesn’t ever clean this room, we suggest a rotating schedule for bathroom cleaning duties. You should also highlight how a clean bathroom contributes to the overall health of the household.
Managing Appointments and Schedules
This responsibility shouldn’t always be on the shoulders of women. If you wish the man in your life would take more control here, suggest taking turns managing family appointments and schedules. Emphasize the importance of staying organized with calendars and reminders, and discuss how this can reduce stress and improve time management.
Childcare Responsibilities
It’s so important that childcare responsibilities are shared between men and women. So, encourage active participation in childcare, including playing and educational activities. You should discuss the importance of sharing parenting duties and highlight the positive impact on children when both parents are involved.
Home Maintenance and Repairs
Now, we’ve got to give it to them—some men do excel in this area. However, for those who don’t and refuse to make an effort, encourage them to learn basic home repair skills to handle minor issues. Discuss the importance of regular home maintenance and encourage joint efforts in planning larger home improvement projects.
Recycling and Managing Waste
According to Business Waste, “More than twice as many women take the lead in recycling than men.” It’s time to change this! To get the man in your life to take action, stress the importance of recycling and proper waste management. You can also suggest creating a system for sorting and disposing of recyclables.
Changing Bed Linens
Another dreaded task that the men of the house may run from is changing the bedding. To make a change, encourage men to take part in changing and washing bed linens regularly by discussing the importance of maintaining a clean and comfortable sleeping environment. Why not suggest creating a schedule to regularly change bedding to ensure hygiene and comfort?
Preparing for Guests and Hosting
This may not be an everyday chore, but if you host a lot, it can be close to that. If you’re tired of shouldering all of the responsibility as a woman, discuss the importance of teamwork in hosting events at home and highlight how sharing these tasks can make hosting less stressful and more enjoyable.
