Nobody particularly enjoys doing housework, but unfortunately, it has to be done if you want to keep a tidy and happy home. Most couples will try split chores evenly, potentially assigning each other tasks that the other isn't too fond of - for instance taking the bins outside is a task that many pairs will likely argue over.
However, sometimes women may end up feeling like they are shouldering more of the burden, and it turns out this very well could be the case, as philosophers Tom McClelland and Paulina Sliwa from the University of Cambridge have revealed. The pair have shared the results of their recent study into unequal domestic labour which found men see their homes very differently from women.
They claim women see rubbish building up, dirty dishes gathering around the sink and the food bin overflowing and want to do something about it, while men are often 'physically unable' to see mess and just don't feel the same 'tug' to make things spick and span.
McClelland and Sliwa's published study, titled 'Gendered affordance perception and unequal domestic labour' suggests that men and women in heterosexual relationships are trained by society to see different possibilities for action when they look at the mess in their homes.
The research was completed as a response to the Covid lockdowns, to see whether tasks were shared out more equally.
In a piece posted on The Conversation website, McClelland and Sliwa explained: "The results of our recent study suggest men and women are trained by society to see different possibilities for action when they look at mess in their home. We believe this insight could help heterosexual couples share chores more evenly too. But it’s important to understand the root causes of the issue.
"According to a concept in psychology called 'affordance theory', when we look at objects and situations we see possibilities for actions. When you look at an apple you don’t just see it as red and shiny, you see it as edible."
So, to put it simply, men and women can look at the same things that need to be cleaned, but they will view things with different 'affordances' - whilst a woman may look at the carpet in desperate need of a hoover and feel compelled to do something about it, men don't feel the same way.
Affordance theory can help explain why women shoulder a disproportionate amount of housework and childcare, even when they work full-time, as the way you view your domestic environment has a knock-on effect on how many chores you complete.
Women tend to notice the things that need doing and therefore will feel more motivated to complete the task at hand, while men not noticing takes a considerable mental toll on women and in turn puts a serious strain on relationships.
But the experts claimed that being less sensitive to certain affordances is not an 'excuse' to get out of helping with housework as men can learn to 'change' their perception through practice.
McClelland and Sliwa continued to say how the more frequently men perform a certain chore, the better they will become at seeing the mess at home. Paying close attention to cues about whether or not a chore needs to be completed also helps aid this.
The pair went on to urge men to step up and do their fair share of housework, adding: "Despite the cultural, economic, and legal gains by women over recent years, the disparities in how much domestic work is done by women and men have proven tough to overcome.
"To redress the imbalance, it's not enough to exhort men to do their equal share. Men need to take responsibility for seeing what needs doing."
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