More than 80% of respondents from 17 countries believe that sons should be taught how to perform household chores and care for children. And many men are ready to take an active part in housework, but they are deterred by the “biased attitude of society.”
Around the world, according to the State of the World’s Parents 2023 report by the US NGO Equimundo, the vast majority of men are ready to take on household responsibilities.
But how informs The Guardian, lack of support and ingrained stereotypes in society hold them back. They are influenced by the biased attitude of the society, which is not ready to see them in the role of “domestic servant”.
The Equimundo survey surveyed 12,000 men, women and gender-diverse people in South Africa, China, Colombia, Australia, Rwanda, Ireland and the United States. In 16 out of 17 countries, between 70% and 90% of men said they feel the same responsibility as their partner for doing household chores. More than 80% of respondents believe that boys should be taught to do household chores and take care of children.
The exception was India: only 25% of men feel the same responsibility as their partners when it comes to housework and childcare. GO Research Director Equimundo Tavishi Gupta says:
“Our results show what we already suspected: men love and want to take care of children in particular.”
Unequal pay and discriminatory government policies result in women doing 7 times more unpaid domestic work in other countries. Men worldwide spend just 19% of their time on household chores, while women spend 55%. Gary Barker, CEO of Equimundo, explains:
“On average, men’s salaries around the world are higher than women’s. Therefore, many families believe that a man’s better paid job brings more to the household than men’s work at home.”
One of the key strategies recommended in the report is equal parental leave for both parents. Barker says:
“We don’t want women’s leave to be shortened, instead we want men’s leave to continue.”
85% of respondents said that paid parental leave would benefit their partners and children, however, many of them spoke of obstacles at work and in society. Among the parents and mothers surveyed who did not take all the parental leave offered to them, 40% said it was due to fear of losing their job, 36% reported a lack of support from leaders, and 18% were worried about the judgment of friends and families.
More Stories
Greece is at the bottom of the EU in information and communication technologies
Real wages in Greece fell by 30%
ELSTAT: inflation increased by another 3.2% in March