Marriage Changing, but ‘Womens’ Work Isn’t

Published March 19, 1987. A few weeks ago I was in Pocatello, Idaho, giving a speech about marriage. I noted that marriage has changed during the last four decades, and problems arise when we try to cling to traditions of the past. One of the areas of concern is how homes are maintained and operated. In the past, I observed, it has been women who have done almost all the housework.

I did not realize it, but Don Aslett lives in Idaho. He is one of America’s cleaning experts and has written several books on the subject. His latest is titled “Who Says It’s a Woman’s Job to Clean?” Some caring person from Pocatello sent me a copy a few days after I arrived home.

Don’s new book has several cartoons in it, so one might think it is a modern comic book with a message. Upon reading the book, however, you realize that he has had to use humor to get the attention of husbands and children to convince them there is a serious problem in American households. Simply put – Mom needs help in the home!

Current estimates are that men do 5 percent of the housework. “But in truth,” Don notes, “men are not doing much more than they ever did . . . We need charts and certificates of proof. We see it and live it everyday of the week. The evidence is before our eyes, everywhere. Ninety percent of housework is caused by men and children. 90 percent of cleaning is done by women. We expect it, we allow it, we encourage it, and we seldom appreciate it. That’s it – pure and simple!”

Aslett also notes “Life today is different, more complicated than it’s every been. Many women are breadwinners and their time at home is limited. But even in situations where men are unemployed, looking for a job and hanging around the house, they can scarcely keep shaved and keep the garbage cans hauled out. Guess who comes home from work and does the cooking, cleaning, and domestic decision making . . . THE WOMAN!”

On a more serious note, Don relates the following facts noted in the Wall Street Journal:

1. Women do two-thirds of the world’s work, receive a tenth of its income, and own less than a hundredth of its property.
2. The vast array of labor-saving devices in the modern world has not reduced the amount of housework: if anything, it has increased it.
3. At least 52 percent of American women who are married also hold a job outside the home.
4. Employed wives spend 26 hours a week on housework; their husbands spend about 36 minutes during the same seven-day period.
5. Women who are full-time homemakers spend more than eight hours per day on house and family work, while women who are employed outside the home spend just under five hours a day.

Don Aslett thinks he knows one of the major reasons why many contemporary married women are not very happy. We retained a tradition disturbing and unsettling to modern wives and mothers. That tradition is “IT’S A WOMAN’S JOB TO CLEAN.”

Believing this and acting accordingly makes a very comfortable life for husbands and children. Some wives would say too comfortable. But Don is going to help us remedy the situation by teaching husbands . . . yes husbands, and eventually children . . . how and why we should become involved in household cleaning routines.

You may want to buy the book “Who Says It’s a Woman’s Job to Clean?” by Don Aslett and illustrated by Craig LaGory. It was published in 1986 by Writer’s Book Digest of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Next week I’ll print a paper and pencil test from Don’s book to help men assess their attitudes about and efforts at housework.