Mama Poll: Does Your Husband Do Housework?

Updated on May 11, 2012
H.M. asks from Columbia, MO
54 answers

Hi Mamas,
Just out of curiosity, how much does your husband or SO chip in around the house? You know, with laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking, and other basic household duties? What would you say is the percentage of what you do versus what he does? And as a secondary question, is this something you've agreed upon? Or did it just end up that way because of gender roles you fell into (or whatever else may have been the cause.)

Thanks!
Hilary

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So What Happened?

What great answers! And what great hubbies a lot of you have! Reading these has made me realize how much work my hubby does. It's not 50/50, but it's not too far out of whack. And we had a conversation last night about which areas of the house are now his to straighten and clean. Of course, it's the areas that have a TV set to make it more manageable for him. :) Happy Mother's Day, ladies!

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M.P.

answers from San Francisco on

I am a very lucky woman! My husband does a lot around the house. He does most of the laundry. I cook, he cleans up the dishes. I grocery shop. We both dust, vacuum, and clean the bathroom. Just depends on what's going on at the time. But the HUGE thing is that he takes care of getting the kids going in the morning. I work early so I am out of the house before everyone wakes up. He whines about it all the time but I paid my dues, that was my job for several years. All in all I'd say it's very equal. We never really negotiated this deal it just worked out this way.

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L.C.

answers from Dover on

He does his very best to be helpful...he may not do it perfectly, but he tries to be as helpful as he can. He doesn't look at the gender role, he looks at his role as my husband, which is to support and help me.

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L.M.

answers from New York on

Hubby does about 40% of the household chores, his main duties - garbage, grocery shopping, scrubbing the bathroom, making breakfast, driving kids to school.

He helps wash the floors, meal planning, cooking, and dishes.

He does grocery shopping because he doesn't work on Monday's and it's so much easier when the stores aren't crowded. I'm allergic to many bathroom cleaners, so he does that job.

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B..

answers from Dallas on

I'd say it's 80/20 during the week, and 70/30 on the weekend. We did agree upon this. I am home all day, and it's just natural that I would be able to do the bulk of cleaning. Same with the cooking. He does all the laundry, because I HATE doing laundry. He also loads the dishwasher in the morning, if needed. On the weekends, he helps me clean whatever needs to be cleaned. Then, I do all maintenance cleaning, and the cleaning during the week. That's inside the house. Outside it's 90/10 in his favor. He does all the yard work and I tend to the produce garden.

He's really great about helping clean, actually. He sees it as him home, and something he should contribute to. We've never once had an argument over housework. When we were both working, it was 50/50.

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H.M.

answers from Denver on

My husband works full time and does all our laundry and the dishes every night.

It took almost 18 years to get him there - and I can't take any credit - he decided he was going to do those things on his own - I just let him know it's appreciated. :-)

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G.B.

answers from Boise on

Absolutely, You know why? because he did chores around the house when he was a kid. lots of them.

So mamas...... teach your children, especially those boys.... to do chores around the house every day. You are doing their future wife (and their future marriage) a favor.

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J.F.

answers from Bloomington on

It's about 40 him/ 60 me. Sometimes it's 50/50. Depends on the week and our committments. He has learned to do all the chores correctly (no thanks to his mom). He does the dishes (loads/unloads dishwasher) about 3 times a week, takes the trash out most of the time, vacuums every other week, steam mops every other week, does about 50% of the laundry, makes the bed, and helps me do projects. I do everything else, including the yard work.

We've been married for almost 11 years and lived together a year before that. He once said he didn't want to do anything on the weekends because it was his time off. He was quickly informed that that wasn't going to fly. It's taken years, and 2 kids to fully understand how much it takes for both of us to put in.

We usually pick up through the week, and deep clean the house on Sat. mornings together as a family ( 2 & 4 y.o.).

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L.A.

answers from Austin on

Yes, tons.. He has actually taken over the laundry! I love it.. It has taken years to discover he loves to sweep and vacuum, but I love to mop. He hates mopping.

I am better at washing and putting away the dishes and cleaning the bathroom.. He is good at kitchen clean up..

He is great at folding, I am great at putting it away..

He will change the sheets, each week. It is hard for me because of my back.

I was going to post this, but I will share here. .. For the last 2 weeks, he has been in total "Nesting Mode". Our daughter is graduating from College and moving home for the summer.

He purchased a new front door and had me hire someone to install it. He then has prepped it for painting. This is a huge deal. He normally does this stuff on his own.

He then had me pick out house paint color, so we can hire someone to paint!

Then he purchased a brand new stove!!!! Unsolicited! We had a 1950 O'Keefe and Merritt. but it was huge and not at all efficient. He hasn'.t stopped and is now looking at getting rid of all of his stuff.. that he has been collecting for "just in case."

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T.B.

answers from Miami on

As a SAHM, I consider my job to be the primary house keeper however......I expect help from my husband. I expect him to put his dirty laundry in the laundry baskets (sometimes he forgets...and so he might not have clean socks when laundry day comes around. After all, I am not a maid). I expect him to help, yes indeed. Wherever, whenever. We have 4 children and I am very busy. My husband washes dishes mostly every night, he makes dinner on the weekends and does clean up, he throws out the trash daily, makes sure the trash cans and recycle bins get to the curb, he maintains the exterior of the house (pulls weeds, etc.). Do I wish he did more? No, not really but I do wish he would do more to encourage our children to help out more than they do. I find him picking up after our children and that bugs me. Our childrens ages are : 12, 9, 5, and 12 months. And, he does his own ironing. I hate to iron!

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M..

answers from Youngstown on

It's about 60/40 in our house. My husband does a lot. He does all the laundry, cleans the bathrooms every weekend & helps with almost all the household chores. During the week (we both work) he cooks dinner 3 nights a week because he gets home earlier than me. He does the dishes and the trash. I do the yard work and all the other cleaning thats left. We both pitch in and childcare is 50/50. I am blessed.

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J.B.

answers from Houston on

If you don't mind me answering, I do all of it. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, bills all of it. That is our arrangement and it works for us. May not work for all.

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M.G.

answers from Seattle on

My husband helps out with lots some days and not so much on others. For instance during the week he only does a few things which I don't even expect seeing as he's busting his butt all day at work. Whereas on the weekends he'll often let me sleep in and take care a myriad of things. We did not agree on this but rather it's just something natural that's come to be.

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H.G.

answers from New York on

I'm a SAHM to a middle school age daughter. Although I consider myself to have most of the responsibility of housework, laundry, etc. We all help out when needed. My husband and I both have back problems and he has neck issues on top of that so he's not at his best physically after working all day. I have spurts where I HAVE to pick up/clean most of the house (at least the downstairs where guests would see). This week, I just feel like I let everything go so I'll spend some time tomorrow catching up.

My husband and I have separate bedrooms so he's a little more lax on putting his clothes in the hamper, but it's not in my room so I don't really care. I will gather everything if I'm doing laundry, but he actually does most of his laundry most of the time. I do ALL the cooking/grocery shopping and most of the kitchen clean up because that's how I like it. He pays the bills which I appreciate very much (I did it for like 15 years).

There is no such thing as "my" job or "his" job. We try to just get everything done and he's good enough to not care when the house is a little messy. He will also do anything I ask him to if he's physically up to it. On a side note, he 100% doesn't care if the house is messy as long as I don't wear myself out so much that I'm too tired for "adult time". He is smart enough to know that my favorite kind of foreplay is when he throws a load of laundry in the washer - hee, hee.

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

He does about half. I cook, so he does the dishes. We usually each clean a bathroom on bathroom cleaning day. Usually I do the kitchen and he does the living room. He does all the lawn work. I don't dust or vacuum, that's all him. We both do laundry, although i do more kiddo laundry.

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E.D.

answers from Seattle on

My husband cooks dinner every night. He also gets the girls breakfast before he leaves for work, and makes me coffee before he wakes me up. It's my favorite part of the day.

I do most of the household cleaning. Laundry, dishes and kitchen (though my husband cleans up the kitchen a few times a week), vacuuming, organizing, and most of the yard work. I clean the cars and my husband is in charge of repairs. I follow the bills and keep track of what needs to be paid. My husband is in charge for actually following through and paying them.

When my husband is home from work, we parent 50/50. Both of us get breaks throughout the week; time for just us, a catch up with a friend, or a nap, that kind of a thing.

It feels very equitable to me these days. Didn't used to.
But it does now :-)

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J.K.

answers from Kansas City on

I am happy to say that today, along with my sons, he folded about 5 loads of laundry and put them away, cleaned up the kitchen and cooked dinner, mowed the lawn, got more dirty laundry together, worked out, then my husband just went to work. A few days ago my husband spent an hour scrubbing the shower for me. This is not typical everyday, but my husband has always helped out a heck of a lot, and we make our kids work too. They don't get to live here for free. Now when it is a typical day, we do get into the "gender" roles, but we step out of them all the time to help each other out.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

yes he does most of the laundry and does the mowing.
And occasionally helps with the kitchen and dishes.
Something we agreed upon when we got married.
Originally he was doing dishes but I got tired of the sound effects coming from the kitchen when he found somethng nasty in the sink.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

50/50. :) I am lucky, I know! :)
He goes to work, and my equivalent is looking after DD. So, as for home chores, we split pretty much equally.
I do all the cooking, cleaning and laundry. He sometimes helps in folding.
He does all the vacuuming (I am beginning to wonder if he's secretly considering vacuuming as a hobby....he likes doing it so much, all the better for me!). Either of us do the bathroom (him, mostly), and I do the whole kitchen.
I take care of DD from morning till almost dinner time. He does some Dad-daughter time in the evening, and puts her to bed, after they both put away all her toys to sleep and say goodnight to all of them.
On weekends, we both do grocery shopping together. Well, I shop, and father and daughter entertain each other and the whole store.
We don't have a yard yet, but when we have one, I know that DH would do most of the maintenance, but I'd tend to my small kitchen garden/flower bed.

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I.X.

answers from Los Angeles on

My husband does his own laundry, vacuums once in a blue moon and does dishes about 10% of the time. When we were married I wanted 50/50 on housework but didn't factor in yard work and car washing. Turns out I'd rather do 100% of the house work compared to what he does for our family. We never had any big agreements, we both settled into what we are comfortable with and are happy with our roles. At least I am, I think perhaps he wishes I'd take over the bills.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

Everyone in my house who walks on the floor is expected to sweep and mop it. Everyone in my house who shits and showers is expected to scrub bathrooms. Everyone in my house who eats is expected to cook and wash dishes. Everyone in my house who wears clothing is expected to do laundry.

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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

Well, we just do what we see needs to be done when it needs to be done. I am not a very good "home maker" but I am a SAHM right now so there is always something that needs to be done, I think on an average day we both spend somewhere between 15-20 min/day doing things. Mostly I do the laundry - he can hardly make the thing work, he does a lot of the dishes because I can not stand them and he does the trash. So, I think it is a 50/50 for the most part but I do not keep tabs.

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A.G.

answers from Dallas on

My husband cleans the house on Wednesdays, his day off. He mops, vacuums, does laundry, dishes, and anything else that needs to be done.

On Saturdays, I do laundry, dishes, dry swiffer, vacuum, and dust.

Our oldest son does the vacuming in between, and sometimes on those days as well. I like the house to be spotless, so we vacuum a lot.

Both boys dust their own rooms and keep them clean. They also help with the dishes.

I'm a teacher, so in the summer I take over most of the cleaning that my husband does, but he still helps sometimes, especially with the laundry and dishes. The boys are good about helping, too. It takes help from everyone to keep things running smoothly! :)

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J.A.

answers from Denver on

90-10 I am fine with it. I do all the day to day clean, laundry, dishes, and cooking. He does a lot of the heard and garden but so do I and that is only half the year. He works and I stay home. I stay busy working on chores while he is gone, it is my job.

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V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

I am a SAHM, so obviously I do the bulk of it. He works a stressful job with a long commute and strange hours. But he will gather the dirty laundry into a huge heap in the laundry room floor and just start running load after load some days. He will even take it out of the dryer and lay it out flat so it doesn't wrinkle, and sometimes fold towels (gasp! they aren't very "tidy", lol)
He will wash up the handwash stuff in the kitchen from time to time. He will grill dinner anytime he is home, if I ask him to. He changes the linens on the bed. He makes the coffee, and often empties/cleans the pot/maker up after also. He makes his own gatorade from powder to have in the fridge for after his run. He mows/edges the lawn.
And since we are home/cyber schooling this year, if he is home at lunch time, he makes the kids their lunch (and mine too sometimes).

Like another poster mentioned... he does not wipe up around the sink/counters. Ever. He also has added pool chemicals a half dozen times in the 6 YEARS we have been in this house. He doesn't sweep or vacuum. He doesn't do bathrooms at all. He doesn't change toilet paper rolls. Or paper towel rolls. (must be something about being a man and the cardboard tube thing, or something?).

We both lived on our own for a few years before we got married. So we both can and have done it ALL. He does what he sees needing to be done, when he has the time. And so do I. I must admit, I have it pretty darn good.
We did not ever discuss "who does what"... we just both "do".... and I tend to "see" more that needs doing than he does, lol.
But he is rarely idle on his days off from work. He works out, mows, edges, runs, cooks, does laundry, cleans the gutters, takes the kids roller blading, gets in the pool with them, runs errands with me, offers to grocery shop even (I don't take him up on that one... lol).
We both want to serve the other and do our best. Sometimes we get lazy or get in a funk and things start to slide a little. But we always get things whipped back into shape and back on track. Right now, my kitchen counter is loaded down with my own "do list", but I am trying to wrap up end of the year school for 2 kids, one is about to be confirmed, and we have had a lot of social event stuff of late... so I have been slacking. :(

ETA:
Ohh.. almost forgot. He also goes to the trouble to make/teach our kids to do stuff to help out also. I am terrible about doing things myself rather than corral the kids, b/c it is always easier to do than to teach. But he made it routine that our son takes out the kitchen trash when it is full (starting around age 8), our daughter puts in the fresh bag. Son takes the trash and recycle bin out to the curb for pickup, daughter brings them in the next day. The kids also set the table, make drinks, clear the table, wash dishes, empty the dishwasher and bring the groceries in from the car (when I go shopping alone--they are supposed to go outside and help bring everything in when I get home). Taught our son to mow the grass also. They pull weeds and poop scoop the yard. They match up socks and put away their clothes. They clean the grill grate so we can cook out. They take the newspapers out of the rack and put them in the recycle bin. He has taught them well that they are part of a family and that all members pitch in. Nobody is above washing dishes. Nobody is above laundry. Nobody is above dealing with the trash.
And before I got my steam mop (love that thing) he used to mop the tile floors for me. :))

Hubby will bathe the dog. But no one ever thinks to give her her meds but me. Which is okay... b/c it helps me remember if I am the one doing it EVERY day. If others "helped" I might forget to think about it. Ya know?

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S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

he does.
and our stats are totally unfair. he brings in 99% of the income, and also does probably 20% of the housework. and 75% of the yardwork. and all the repairs.
he is my hero.
:) khairete
S.

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J.S.

answers from Columbia on

When I'm a WAHD - I do about 90%.

When I have my busy season and have to be in the office - I do about 30%.

We conciously made that decision.

I like the quote from a marriage counselor many years ago - a relationship isn't 50/50. It's 100%/100%. And sometimes our 100% effort might be more or less or equal in housework than our partner. Sometimes we need to lean on them - and sometimes we need to be leaned upon.

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B.F.

answers from San Francisco on

Yes, we are 50/50. Both just pitch in when needed with cooking, cleaning. laundry etc. Nothing is exclusively mine or his task. I have a little higher standards than he does but I'm smart enough to NEVER complain about that ;)

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C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

My husband helps out around the house, although I do most of it. He is great at emptying the dishwasher, filling it up, maybe washing some pots an pans (usually he sets them in the sink to soak to wash later, but then never remembers). He does not think to wipe countertops or the table ever. He never sweeps or mops or cleans bathrooms - he just does not think to do it. It always looks good to him. He does vacuum if I ask him. He likes to organize the garage often...it's never very organized...it's a constant work in progress. He will do laundry or help with it. He only folds his own clothes usually. I have no idea why - I'm just glad he does that! If I made him a list of things to do to help out on the weekend he will do his list. He never picks up stuff...or not much. He never deep cleans. He is a bit messy and leaves piles of clothes/stuff around the house. He cooks about once a week. He always says he wants to cook more, but he never remembers to plan some meals and just do it! We just fell into our roles. I'm a SAHM right now, so I'm happy to do more. If I were working it would be the same though. I would make him weekend lists more often if I worked full time and things would even out.

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A.K.

answers from Bloomington on

My husband works a lot & still helps with stuff around the house. I have to to ask more than I used to but he will does pitch in.

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J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Yup, it averages out to fifty fifty.

I don't think we ever agreed on it it is just we are grown ups and the house has to be clean, ya know? That is why I said averages, sometimes I am doing 100% other times he is sometimes we are in the middle.

Anyone who is jealous when I was a stay at home it was me, 100%, including the guy jobs like home maintenance and lawn care. Both Troy and I work 40+ hours a week.

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A.S.

answers from Iowa City on

I would say my husband does 40%. We sort of just fell into some things and other things we agree on (like I mow and garden because I enjoy it; he fixes stuff because he enjoys it). He doesn't do the laundry or clean the bathroom (unless specifically asked to do so) but he helps with or does everything else.

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C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I usually do most of it. He works around 60 hours a week, so I try not to make him do too much. Any chance he has, he is playing with the kids, which is great because then I can get more done. But sometimes I do need some help and he does help. Last night he unplugged the toilet (I refuse to do that, totally gross!), he takes the trash out for me and if I need any extra help, he will bring the laundry up for me (laundry is in basement, our bedroom is on the 4th floor), or he will clean the kitchen for me or help me straighten things up a bit. I don't ask him to do extra stuff that often, just once in a while when I get overwhelmed and stressed. 4 floors is hard to clean, lol!

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K.S.

answers from Joplin on

I am jealous of many of you ladies!!

I am a SAHM of four. 12, 9, 5, &3. As well as full-time student. Majority of the time its just the younger two (one of which is disabled and requires 24/7 monitoring... but I am 100% responsible for household duties. If I don't do it, it just won't get done. Significant other works 40-50 hours a week, comes home and complains if something is not done. As you can probably figure this causes our disagreements. But, this is how he was raised. I manage but it aggravates me that even when the children were babies it was on me. He has maybe changed a total of 40 diapers in the younger children's lives. As for baths maybe given a handful. If the kids are hungry rather than whipping something up he comes to me with "kids are hungry, or kids need a drink". He is a very hard worker, and a very good hands on loving father--just has some issues with his priorities...again like i said just how he was raised... Absolutely aggravates me that he expects me to go after his clothes at all times, does not understand the concept of "laundry room" or "hamper".....& I wonder why our oldest is so lazy....What a rolemodel huh? LOL....I love him though, and minus our little battles we make it through this all.

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A.H.

answers from Canton on

We're probably pretty close to 50/50. He does everything outside and I do all the laundry and most of the cooking. As far as other things go, it just gets done on an "as needed" basis by whichever one of us is available to do it. Some weeks he does the dishes more than I do but it all averages out in the end. Another good question would be "How many husbands take care of school / after school activities?" Mine SO is pretty cluesless when it comes to that unless it's our son's sports related activities.

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S.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I do more than my husband but he can pull his weight. Usually I'm doing more just because "I'm on it" before he is. And even though we both work full time, I feel responsibility to get the whole place clean on "my" weekend, which comes before his (his in Mon-Tues) so he can relax more. But he'll keep up his end. He does about 1/2 the laundry, a few dinners a week, and tidy the kitchen at least once a week. he does his own ironing. He's got the whole yard locked down which is big. He'll occasionally clean our bathroom.
He knows when the balance is shifting and he hasn't done his part during the week and has to kick it into gear. The biggest problem is I have higher standards and he can sit around and relax amidst mess and I cannot.
But I'm pretty lucky, I married a productive helpful guy. He had a neatfreak girl roommate for years when we were dating and we joke that she "trained" him!

When I think about it, he would disagree but I might be doing up to 70% of the work because of all those "mom" things the guy doesn't always realize- like packing the bags for babysitters, keeping track of school papers etc, and if you figure in all the bills and managing of appointments and calendars as a chore... yeah I do more.

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E.S.

answers from New York on

Hubby is awesome and we are about 60/40, meaning he does more and always has. I am grateful to have someone who would rather me look after our daughter than have things spic-and-span for when he comes home. I do all the dishes, laundry and the bathrooms. He dusts, vacuums and does the food shopping--his Daddy time with DD.

I am lucky.

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M.C.

answers from Detroit on

After reading your responses, I feel sad. I'm in the minority here. I do 95% of the housework while my husband does about 5%. It wasn't until this spring he started mowing the lawn. I'm waiting to see how long that will last. My husband is so into his own little world of computer games and the Ipad, that he is oblivious to anything else. If I say anything, it doesn't change. We would live in complete squallor (sp) if I didn't do the chores. This was NOT agreed upon either. I thought that I was marrying an equal partner...not! Luckily, my boys help out:)

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F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

I'm home all day without kids and he works all day. I do all the cooking and shoping. He does all the laundry, although he is teaching the kids to do their own now, and he sweeps and mops all the floors. He also takes care of the dog...food, water and poop duty. Our daughter loads and unloads the dishwasher and our son takes out all the trash and the cans to the street. My husband does anything he sees that needs to be done. I'm a procrastinator and he would rather just get it done. So he does. I think he does more than I do for sure. I told him I wasn't good at housekeeping when we met and his exact words to me? "I don't care if you never life a finger, I will do all of it. I just need you to take care of our kids". He's one in a million and I'm soooo lucky!!!

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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

50:50. He also does half the childcare. Our split has been even since we met in college. He doesn't help around the house or with our son - we share responsibility for what needs to be done.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

My soon to be EX husband? No. Not since our wedding day. Prior to that we split things fairly evenly for about 3-4 years. Not a joint decision, mind. Nor one even broached as a topic of conversation. People say a piece of paper doesn't change anything, but it changed my whole world. He quit helping with the business of living, quit helping with childcare, and started taking his anger out on us.

I hung on for years, and wish I hadn't.

ROFL... He STILL doesn't look after himself. He's moved in with another family. Married couple and kids.

:D soon to be EX husband

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

Not really. He will sometimes collect the laundry for me if I am heading to bed and his towel for his morning shower is in it (and I tell him to collect it).....

I am a SAHM, the house is my work. I take care of the yard too.

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M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

Mine does. We do different things and everything gets done. I don't think I can break it down to a percentage, because if I have a heavy school load for the week, he does a lot more than I do. If it's a normal week, I do more, but he works 2 hours away.

We both chip in (normally) and it works.

But don't come over now, because we've both been swamped this week and the house is a wreck!

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R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

during the week its about 75/25 with me doing more. But he is working all week, Im home.

He does 50% of the cooking... if not more.

Friday is everyone day off from cleaning.

During the weekend its 50/50 on what we do with the cleaning.

The first year I had to ask all the time to help... but after that he got it and ever since he has been doing great at helping around the house. With a reminder here and there ;)

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J.S.

answers from Chicago on

My husband does the grocery shopping (I do the list). He loves it and I hate it. I do the majority of the inside work and he does the majority of the outside along with any and all maintenance. He does his own laundry and I do everyone else's. The kids do a lot of the jobs that he used to do (cleaning hall bathroom, sweeping the floors and emptying in the dishwasher).

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H.P.

answers from Houston on

My husband does pretty much all of the household work, except for cooking. Lately, I've been teaching him a few things in the kitchen, so he can pitch in when I am just so not up to it and he wants somethign in particular. I try to limit this, though. I do laundry sometimes, but he does it more regularly. I've been doing it more lately. I wash the baby's dishes, so I might go ahead and wash the rest of them, but usually he washes dishes (on the weekends; nanny washes during the week).

When we got married, the assignments were as follows:
Me--cooking, laundry; Him--floors, toilets, trash, dishes; everything else pretty much shared.

That has since morphed into hubby doing most of it, because his tolerance level is lower. I don't mind letting a pile wait until the weekend.

While he is a wonderful father to our toddler, I am the project leader on that one, so it balances out (right?). It's my job to do the research for his care and prepare his food; hubby will pick up prescriptions and feed him. I do those, too, sometimes. My "time off" comes when hubby takes baby for a walk or to run errands (like gassing up the car). I am the one who sleeps intermittently, tending to baby in the night (feeding, tears, keeping him from scratching off bandages or holes in his skin if he's reacting to something) without disturbing hubby.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

----(crickets chirping)------

Hmmm.... oh sometimes.
maybe like 2 of those duties. But infrequently.

I do, 99% of everything. Meaning, inside the house and the exterior/yard etc. DAILY.
His chipping in, is infrequent. Or comes in waves. It is not routine.

It has nothing to do with gender roles.
It has to do with the person and their take on it.
And sometimes they think they are doing things, but are not.

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M.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

No and it was not agreed upon. If I went on strike and the house became filthy, I would clean it before he noticed it was gross, he can definitiely hold out longer than I......or if he noticed he would hire someone else to clean but never do it himself.

Yes, it drives me insane...but he has other good qualities :-)

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D.B.

answers from Eau Claire on

My hubby works at home, so he does most of the chores. Prior to him working at home, I did most of them.

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

My husband will occasionally chip in. I stay at home so I do agree that the bulk of the household chores fall upon me and I'm okay with that. He is very understanding if the house is more messy than usual during certain busier times but I always try to at least stay up on grocery shopping and laundry. He really is supposed to take care of the outside stuff, and he does...but he sort of takes his time and procrastinates, but I don't care all that much. I help him with a lot of outdoor things like watering, picking up sticks (which is a bigger job in our yard than it probably sounds!;) dog poop duty, gardening, etc. He does the mowing and the trimming, I pretty much refuse to do that stuff. If he can see that I'm in over my head, he will sometimes offer to help with something. I do sometimes wish he'd clean up the dinner dishes, but honestly, I'm glad he at least takes the kids off my hands for a few minutes while I can clean in peace! So, in the end, I guess I'd say it's about 90/10.

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C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

Hubby currently works Fri-Sun - 12.5 hour shifts. When he worked Mon-Fri nights, I did ALL the work - cooking for the kids and I and packaging leftovers for him, laundry, dishes, etc. Now that he's home with the kids Mon-Thurs - he does 90% of the work. And not becuase we agreed upon it or anything - he just does it. He vaccuums every day, makes our bed 90% of the time, does the dishes 95% of the time and does the laundry (except for putting away). Usually he'll do 3/4 of the laundry during the week and on the weekends I put it all away, wash the bedding and finish the rest of the laundry. I clean the bathrooms. I hate and rarely dust so he's even picked up on that. But we also have different ideas of cleaning. When he cleans - he does it all - dusts the ceiling fans, washes the couch covers, re-grouts the tub, etc. For me - it's all about surface cleaning with a bit deeper - meaning it's clean but I didn't clean the room top to bottom.

He also sprays for weeds and mows the lawn each week. I bathe, read stories and put the kids to bed 95% of the time.

So luckily, it all works out for us!

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⊱.H.

answers from Spokane on

My husband and I split all the chores - inside and out. We both do what needs done. There are a few things I do exclusively (like dust, mop floors and grocery shop and he plows the driveway, takes the garbage to the dump and takes care of the chickens). But for the most part we split it. We both work full-time. He does all the laundry but I fold it and put it away. He cooks dinner on his 2 nights off and cleans the kitchen and I do the same on my 2 nights off (they are different nights). The nights we are both working all day we both cook it's a toss up but usually one cooks and the other cleans.

He is also a very hands on daddy. He will give the little one a bath if I ask him to (but doesn't really think about it unless I say something :) He helps the older one with homework if I am busy, he reads bedtime stories, helps coach their sports.

Simply ~ he is amazing :)

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J.P.

answers from Lakeland on

No.
My husband does not do any housework unless I need him to. I am home all day so I take care of the house, if I am sick or when I had our daughter he was a great help. He works from home and his job sometimes needs him at all hours of the day. He works in IT and the company is global. He does help with outside stuff, like cleaning the pool deck and stuff like that.

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K.K.

answers from Dallas on

Nope, but I do not work. He might straighten up here there, he can't stand the messes. He works full time, does the yard and fixes things. Very tradtional. Not sure how it will work if I get a job.

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

No and that's one of the reasons he my ex-husband.

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