Just one in three households share responsibility for chores with the lion’s share of the housework still being performed by women, a poll for The Grocer has revealed.

Seventy per cent of women say they are the primary housekeepers at home, versus 44% of men. The young are more likely to say their households share responsibility for chores. Sixty per cent of those aged 16 to 24 say the housework is a joint effort versus 25% of people aged over 45.

Our poll suggest Brits underestimate the amount of housework other household members undertake. Despite most women saying they do most housework, only 17% of men concede their partners take key responsibility for chores. Just 1% of women say their partners do most housework.

There are signs things are changing, however. “A year ago one in four said chores were shared between the family; now it’s one in three,” said Tania Page, interim head of CPG & retail at Harris Interactive, which polled 1,069 consumers on behalf of The Grocer.

“Women are still significantly more likely than men to say that they do the majority of the housework, although this has decreased slightly since last year, down from 76%. Perhaps it’s slowly moving to a fairer distribution between men and women, but for the time being women are still taking on the bulk of the housework.”

Who does most housework in your home? 

 Total (2016)Total (2015)Male (2016)Male (2015)Female (2016) Female (2015)
Myself 57% 59% 44% 41% 70% 76%
It’s a joint effort  32% 25% 38% 32% 27% 19%
My partner 9% 14% 17% 25% 1% 3%
We have a cleaner 1% 2% 0% 2% 2% 2%
My kids 2% 0% 2% 0% 1% 0%

In partnership with…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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