Census data reveals housework divide
Data from the 2016 census suggests there’s still a divide between the amount of unpaid domestic housework typical Australian men and women are doing each week.
The figures suggest women still assume the lion’s share of the housework, between five and 14 hours a week, with men contributing less than five hours of work.
Writing for The Conversation, University of Melbourne Sociology lecturer Dr Leah Ruppanner said, “Before we write these off as the bemoans of well-resourced first world problems, it is important to note that housework and the mental labour associated with its organisation have real and long-term economic consequences, particularly for women's employment.”
Fairfax columnist Jessica Irvine also touched on the controversy this morning, writing, “But the fact remains: when it comes to domestic drudgery, Australia's women are still picking up the slack.”
So, who are the 2.5 million laziest men in Australia?
Irvine writes, “I obtained a postcode-by-postcode breakdown of the Aussie men contributing no domestic work in Australia.
“Taking the crown – after excluding postcodes with fewer than 100 people – is the postcode of 5106 in Adelaide, home to Parafield Airport, a major pilot training facility, and a neighbouring suburb.
“In second place, the Singleton Military Area in NSW, is home to 319 souls, of whom just 14 are women. Two thirds of the men here said they did no unpaid housework – I guess all that bed making and shoe polishing is part of the job – although zero women said the same. Two other military compounds, including HMAS Cerberus on the Mornington Peninsula and Blamey Barracks at Kapooka, near Wagga Wagga in NSW, also rank in the top 10. It's hard to label serving military men and women as "lazy".
“Rounding out the list are three West Australian mining towns, including Barrow Island, home to the Gorgon Gas project and two universities, University of Queensland and University of NSW.”
What are your thoughts? Do you believe household labour is equally distributed between the genders? Or is there more work to do?