How you do Housework: The Breakdown

Hello all and a big thank you to all the contributors who made this post possible! Here is a breakdown of the entries we received as of the 17th of September 2014.

We received a total of 20 entries. While this is definitely not enough for a definitive sample, the responses we received were quite detailed. The survey contained a few free formed responses which is a bit more difficult to quantitatively  analyse. The solution we decided on was to summarise the response to get at the principle behind it. This allowed us to tally up the number of responses that mentioned that principle. So without further ado, browse the charts to your heart’s content.

1. Are you satisfied with the Housework arrangement in your home?

1. No: 4
2. Kind of: 10
3. Yes: 6

2. Would you like to see your kids contribute more to the home?

1. No: 5
2. Yes: 12
3. Hell YES!: 3

3. How do you delegate home chores in your family?

• Rosters & Lists: 4
• Individual responsibility: 4
• Based on behaviour: 1
• Assign tasks: 3
• Combination of assigned tasks and shared responsibility: 3
• Based on their age: 2
• Not very well: 2

4. What tips would you give someone struggling to get their kids to contribute?

• Incentives (stars, points, privileges, pocket money etc): 9
• Choice and Negotiation within limits: 4
• Have clear expectations & Standards: 5
• Set a time frame: 1
• Be grateful and acknowledge contributions: 3
• Stick to a routine: 3
• Start small: 2
• I need help! : 2 

5. What Age to you introduce your children to house work?

1. 0-2 years: 4
2. 3-5 years: 13
3. 5-11 years: 3
4. 12+ years: 1

6. Are you married?

1. Yes: 20
2. No: 0

6a. Do you believe that the home responsibilities are distributed equally between you and your spouse?

1. Yes: 8
2. Reasonably: 7
3. It could be better, but it works for the moment: 3
4. No: 2

6b. How did you negotiate your present arrangement?

• Just evolved naturally: 4
• Frequent discussion: 6
• Lots of negotiation initially: 1
• We work with our different strengths: 1
• Nagging: 1
• He does one chore: 1
• We worked it out early and stuck to it: 2
• I ask and I receive: 2
• Can’t remember: 1

6c. What tips can you offer couples who are locked in arguments over housework?

• Remember you’re a team: 1
• Pic your battles: 2
• Be grateful: 2
• Discuss your priorities, standards, frustrations… everything: 5
• Get extra help: 2
• Think of the other first: 4
• Do a course that will give you the tools to help resolve things: 2
• Get the kids to help as much as possible: 3

There you have it! If you’d like to read more, we featured the results of this survey in the October 2014 edition of the CathFamily eMagazine. This survey is still open and we’d love to have more feedback from our readers! Fill out the survey or leave a comment with any questions.

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