Make the purchase, organize the meals, take care of the children's clothes, put the washing machine, clean the bathrooms and the kitchen ... How easy life was when your parents took care of everything, right? Because, let's face it, having to do all these tasks, which they consume so much time and effort, is the least desirable after having been working all day. The option is to dedicate the weekend to do it, but hadn't he invented to rest?
It is not important to highlight what is the work of each person at home or what is the recommended age for our children to learn to take responsibility for household chores, but is it possible that all family members are equally responsible for chores relatives?
Mother there is only one and therefore you have to take care of her
Nor are we going to talk here about the role of mothers and how this role has changed over time (you can read more about it in Malas Madres) nor are we going to argue about the stereotypes that are perpetuated even in fashion songs ("I'm not going to make your food every day; I'm not your mother. I'm not going to clean your clothes; I'm not your mother" as Jennifer Lopez sings on her last hit).
But yes, it is true that statistics say that the vast majority of women (91.9%) He spends part of his time in home and family care (with an average of 4.29 hours of daily dedication). But 3 out of 4 men (74.7%) they are also dedicated to the home (2 hours and 32 minutes every day), according to data from the Statistical Bulletin of the Women's Institute of the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Spain, based on the Time Employment Surveys of the National Statistics Institute.
But statistics are that, statistics. Data that reflect to a greater or lesser extent the reality, so and with no intention of turning this into a rule that must be followed strictly, nor a mantra that should prevail in all homes, we will expose some scenarios to see if, between we can all do that older and younger people share household chores equally.
In addition, we leave you a recommendation to achieve a more equitable distribution of household chores, helping you with a distribution chart with which you can gradually assign your children (depending on their age and maturity) the different responsibilities that the organization entails of the house, so they can get used to helping adults in their work.
You take the children, I clean the dishes
Surely you have also noticed that it is already more common to see parents in pediatrician consultations or taking children to school. It is essential that both, as adults, know how to combine leisure time, work and obligations to complement each other when one has to go to the office, take advantage of time with friends, pick up the house or simply rest.
A priori it may not sound very appealing to have to collect and clean the dirt we generate, but let's be positive: anyone who has had to face the task of waking up, having breakfast and having children clean up and change clothes to leaving home on time and not being late to school knows how stressful the mornings can be. In any case, we will always have the satisfaction of having complied with the schedules on time and seeing our home shine.
It may not be like this before, but today's father changes diapers
They say that children are a blessing and that, although they come with bread under their arms, they don't bring instruction book. Beyond the maternal instinct and that women traditionally usually spend more weeks with the baby than men during their first months of life, men are just as qualified as mothers to change diapers, prepare bottles or get up at night when children call.
In fact, it is likely that your parents (and let's not say your grandparents) have never changed your diaper, but little by little we are achieving equity in this regard: 4 out of 10 men is dedicated to the care of children and that It is something to value. So much, that it is even more and more frequent that in public toilets there are changing rooms in male toilets.
The menu is my thing, you buy the ingredients
Maybe in your home you have to clean the kitchen, but you have a potential Ferrán Adriá that is dedicated to the noble task of preparing daily menu of rich, varied, healthy, healthy food and dinner, which meets the strictest requirements of the World Health Organization (WHO) and that, in addition, you like everyone at home.
If so, what less to make available to your partner all those ingredients and condiments that as a chef you need to prepare the weekly menu. In addition, all experts recognize that the kitchen is the ideal space not only to start family conversations, but to gradually introduce children to the noble tasks of helping at home (and, incidentally, getting them to be every increasingly independent).
So, you will kill several birds with one stone if you gradually educate your offspring in the kitchen. Take the opportunity to instill the need to always have a clean and tidy workspace to be able to be, in the same way, with their duties and tasks.
We have to talk: you have to clean
Talking about cleanliness. Some studies suggest that men are more careless than women in that regard. Although we should see very well what this study is based on, the truth is that if we really took advantage of the 123 minutes (More than two hours!) That every day men and women dedicate to household cleaning tasks, we can surely boast an advertisement house.
The key, once again, to achieve a balance when taking responsibility for the tasks, may be dialogue and empathy. If your partner, for example, is nervous about having to clean the windows, mirrors and windows, you can take care of these tasks and have the other party take care of cleaning the dust and vacuuming. Perhaps it is not a question of both the time or effort that each action requires, but of the desire with which we face them and the stick with which we should measure the distribution of obligations.
Nowadays more and more couples share responsibilities in the same way in the domestic space and the future paints a good trendAs we have said before, in matters of organization and cleanliness it is best to be complementary to be able to take care of each one of the tasks that cost us the least and that we can perform with more courage, thus strengthening the bonds that unite us and thus enjoy our home with ours.
It is not help, it is responsibility
As the Women Foundation explains, it is not about the couple helping each other, but that housework is the responsibility of both. “Taking responsibility for a task means having the ultimate obligation of its accomplishment (…). Helping means being free from that final responsibility (...) "Although it has traditionally been different, today more and more couples share responsibilities in the same way in the domestic space and the future paints a good trend in that regard.
Society advances in this regard. In fact, the inequalities in the distribution of tasks are more evident the more years the members of the couple are, in which case it is mainly the woman who deals with the majority of tasks. This is evidenced by a report made by technical service companies.
If your age range is between 31 and 45 years, you can feel lucky, since, according to this same report, it is the age bracket in which women do housework to a lesser extent.
In short, taking care of our house is everyone's responsibility and, although we can now boast greater equality in the distribution of tasks, there is still a long way to go to enjoy life as a couple and a comfortable home. Further, discovering our children the sense of organization and order is indispensable to generate a new awareness for future generations, something that does not have to be a can because, as we have explained, we can do it in an easy and fun way for everyone.
Images | iStock monkeybusinessimages, BernardaSV
