A response to “As far as home chores go, men still need a lot of catching up” Christopher Ingraham (2015)
Ingraham (2015) in “As far as home chores go, men still need a lot of catching up,” describes the changes that have occurred the sharing of household work. He shows that in 1965, women worked for more than four hours in a day while the males spent slightly above thirty minutes. In 2012, the hours for home chores for the women dropped by one hour and forty-five minutes while that of men tripled. There was a decrease in the differences between the number of hours that men and women worked in 2012. However, women worked more than men.
It is evident that the differences have been occurring continually. There has never been a time men did more home chores than women. Couples may decide before getting into a relationship how to share the work at home. I also agree with the author that before 1960 was oppressive to women. As a result, they have been treating them differently in regards to household work. With the rise of women rights and freedom, more women took up active roles in economic activities. That means that they spent less time at home. I believe that the recognition of women rights by men raised their support in household chores over the years.
I also concur with the use statistics to make the article authentic. The information in the article implies that men have been reluctant to grant women equity that they seek even today. The gendered roles according to the culture tend to tie women in the home chores. At the same time, men would prefer to do work that is income generating that in most case do not involve cleaning, washing, and cooking at home. Such is despite the continued pressure from women to gain recognition in both homes and formal workplaces as equal parties.
Besides, even when men theoretically agree that sharing home chores is beneficial to a relationship, the practical part of it shows the reverse. I agree with Ingraham that even the educated and wealthy men work less by up to 8.5 hours. Typically, men do not like performing household work like women do. Ingraham noted that single women do twice as much home chores as single men. Therefore, the same trend is carried on into partnership, and eventually in marriage. The women are under obligation to breastfeed the children and take care them making their work at home more than that of men.
Works cited
Ingarham Christopher. As far as home chores go, men still need a lot of catching up. May 12, 2015. The Star. Retrieved on July 21, 2015 from http://www.thestar.com/life/2015/05/12/as-far-as-home-chores-go-men still-need-a-lot- of-catching-up-to-do.html
