32% of homeowners believe that the traditional pink/blue jobs exist when it comes to household chores
13 August 2024, Dublin: A recent survey looking at the gender split of who does what household chores saw 33% of homeowners reporting that the old-fashioned gender splits are gone, with a further 67% believing that they still exist in some form. Of the latter, 32% of homeowners believe that the ‘blue’ and ‘pink’ jobs absolutely still exist when it comes to household chores, i.e., those tasks that are done by men and those by women. The survey * from Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC (Aviva) sought to understand if the gender split still existed and who did what tasks in the home.
The Aviva survey found that:
- Interestingly, more women (36%) than men (26%) believe that the traditional ‘blue’ and ‘pink’ tasks in the home still exist, highest amongst those aged 18-24 at 40%.
- Of the 33% of homeowners who believe that those old-fashioned gender splits are gone, the view was strongest amongst men at 39% (women: 27%) and those aged over 55+ at 41%
Divisions of household tasks
Respondents to the survey however revealed that there are still some household chores that are primarily done by the men in the house. These include cleaning gutters (82%), getting rid of vermin that enter the home (73%), clearing blocked drains or toilets (69%), cutting the grass (60%) and DIY tasks, 59% of which are done by the man of the house. The woman in the home is the most likely one to do the laundry at 51%. The chores most shared by both include washing up (69%), cooking (60%) and making the beds (50%).
The research findings showed that there is evidence that the ‘pink’ and ‘blue’ household tasks are changing when we looked at the various age categories for a number of the jobs in the home. This showed:
- While cleaning the gutters was primarily the preserve of men for those aged 45-55+ at 85%, but for those aged 25-34, it was a chore done by both.
- Similarly clearing blocked drains and toilets was by and large done by men aged 55+ at 73%, 39% of those aged 35-44 claimed that it was done by both.
- 58% of men aged 45-55+ carried out the DIY tasks in the home, while for those aged 25-34 years of age, 49% responded that it was carried out by both.
It is clear from the research findings that there is still evidence that the traditional ‘pink’ and ‘blue’ tasks still exist in homes around the country. However, there is also strong evidence that the propensity of men or indeed women doing certain chores is changing with the younger age cohorts. The gender defined roles are now becoming less obvious, with more equal sharing of responsibility in and around the home.
Julie Frazer, Underwriting & Product Lead, Aviva said
"Having said that, personally I have no intention of ever getting rid of any vermin that come into my home," concluded Julie Frazer
*The nationwide survey of 1,000 respondents was conducted by iReach Insights on behalf of Aviva.