Study shows women do more chores than men, sparking fury

A new Australian study has released its findings on how people spend their days – while the results haven’t shocked women, men are furious.

In news that will not shock a single woman, a new study has found Australian women do an extra hour of unpaid work than men every day.

Unpaid work includes domestic duties like housework, food and drink preparation and shopping, as well as child care.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics studied the daily activities of people aged over 15 between November 2020 and July 2021 and found women spent four hours and 31 minutes a day doing unpaid work activities.

In comparison, males spent over an hour less on these activities, averaging three hours and 12 minutes a day.

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A new study shows women do an extra hour of chores and childcare than men. Picture: iStock

Lisa Scanlon, Director of Social Surveys and Statistics said the data shows a “snapshot of how people balance their time between work, leisure, caring and other activities”.

“Mothers spent an average of 3 hours and 34 minutes participating in child care activities a day, while fathers spent 2 hours and 19 minutes,” she said.

Interestingly, of those who spent time doing employment related activities, men spent around 8 hours and 13 minutes in a day on these activities while women spent 7 hours and 12 minutes.

The survey also provided insight into the activities people do in their free time, showing on average, people spent 5 hours and 27 minutes a day on activities that included social interaction, recreation and leisure.

The results show women do a majority of unpaid work, while men work for money an hour longer each day. Picture: Supplied/AustralianBureauofStatistics

Three quarters of people reported watching television and video for an average of 2 hours and 55 minutes a day, the report stated, while 20 per cent of respondents spent time doing exercise, sport and outdoor activities for an average of 1 hour and 29 minutes a day.

The survey asked how often participants felt pressed for time with females aged 35 to 44 years were most likely to report always or often feeling rushed 55 per cent of the time.

On social media, many men took issue with the findings, calling out apparent disparities that they claimed were overlooked.

“What about mowing lawns and handy man maintenance. Do men get paid for that?” one commented.

“Men do the paid work in the real world, that pays to raise the family, grow up.... but men don’t get the right to be fully involved parents, they don’t get to ‘have it all’,” another lamented.

“Is that because men are more efficient at what they do and get the job done quicker?” one bloke questioned.

Men also have more free time than women. Picture: Supplied/AustralianBureauofStatistics

Women found their reaction highly amusing, explaining it’s not a shock to them at all.

“Came to the comments to see men having a tanty, wasn’t disappointed,” one scoffed.

“Most women would not be surprised at all, something we have known for years,” another offered.

As one said: “Looks like this a pushed the button for all the usual suspects. Must be a guilty pleasure that extra hour.”

“I would like to see a man doing a woman’s job then the statistics would not only show one hour but 10,” one woman teased.