Ask Liverpool: Are men happier doing more housework?

Men would be happier if they did more housework and had more time with their children, according to a University of Cambridge study.

Transcript

00:00A report published in the Journal of Happiness Studies has revealed that men could experience

00:05increased life satisfaction if they spent more time on household responsibilities traditionally

00:10held by women, that is routine chores and taking care of their own children.

00:15We've been on the streets of Liverpool to find out what you think.

00:18The woman's job is in the house, so we think, which is gone of course, but that's what we think

00:24isn't it? And so she won't want her partner to do it, but at the same time if he does I'm sure

00:30she's very grateful. I agree with that, I think if, particularly if women are working, I don't

00:35see why men don't have their first year of housework and because it's supposed to be,

00:41you know, equal, the sex are equal nowadays. I've been independent for 25 years so it's

00:46no problem to me, you've got to do it all like an Olympic girl, you've got to do it so.

00:50Historically the division of labour within the household's been characterised by women

00:54allocating more time to domestic labour and men spending more time on paid work.

00:59Although pressure for gender equality both at home and work is rising,

01:03it's been unclear how the division of labour within the household relates to life satisfaction.

01:08The study based on 6,000 couples found that on average men spend just over 22 hours a week on

01:13domestic labour with women spending 40, whilst men spend 44 hours on paid work with women spending 26.

01:22I did everything, well I worked as well so it used to be arduous to say the least,

01:28but I just got on with it. Women earning their own money is one of the best things that happen

01:33to women because they don't have to, I'm introducing my own answer to something,

01:38they don't have to hang around men to get the money off them and I find as far as,

01:42I mean I'm 81 now and I don't, I don't have to rely on any man.

01:47The study revealed that women's life satisfaction does not increase with greater spousal

01:52contribution to these tasks but does increase when they themselves spend less time on paid work.