Housework is one of those things that need to be done yes or yes. You can’t not do them, unless, of course, you want to live in a pigsty.

When it comes to a couple living together, it’s common knowledge most of these jobs fall to women. But men don’t realize it, they believe and then they argue about it, that they do half of everything.

​And that situation, that unequal distribution of tasks, continues to be seen as “natural”. Well then, men take for granted which equally contribute to ensuring that the house is clean, that the food is ready, that the children are washed and in bed -if they have one-, among many other things.

Of course, the vast majority, if not all, only notice something when that something isn’t there. While household chores are done “magically”. they completely ignore the work and effort what women do But why does this happen?

Some philosophers believe they have discovered why women continue to take on a disproportionate amount of household chores and childcare in the modern age, but men think they do half the housework.

writing in the magazine Philosophy and phenomenological research philosophers Tom McClelland and Paulina Sliwa postulate that the disparity is due to “conformity theory”: the idea that we experience objects and situations with implicitly associated actions.

“We argue that there is a gendered perception of affordability,” McClelland says. “We suggest that inequalities arise in domestic and care work not just as a result of deeply held beliefs, desires and feelings“He adds.

And he continues: “But also how result of gender differences in the level of perceptionn: that two partners in the same domestic environment can experience very different accessibility landscapes.

Gender Perception of Affordability (GDAP) means that “a married couple of different sexes, Jack and Jill, for example, they may differ in how they perceive the home environment: When Jill walks into a messy kitchen, she sees tasks to do, writes Sliwa, while these perceptions don’t present Jack with a corresponding task.”

“It is quite plausible to expect that Jill I ended up doing a bigger part of these tasks,” says Slidea.

“Over the course of the day, such small differences quickly add up to significant disparities and Jack will systematically overestimate his contribution to housework and also to Jill’s contribution.

The GDAP hypothesis puts Jill in a capture situation 22 (NR: i.e., in a “vicious circle”)”, argues Sliwa: “She ends up struggling do homework or force yourself to ignore it knowingly. Also, if Jill wants to delegate the task to Jack, that too requires an effort on her part. .

“But the GDAP hypothesis it doesn’t mean that women can’t hold bills their male partners,” adds McClelland. “Insensitivity to the possibilities of housework is not a visual impairment; it’s not like, say, color blindness,” she says. “In the absence of perceived capabilities, you can still reason about what should be done.

He adds: “Also, if Jack he is aware of the low points of his performanceyou have to take precautions… you can decide to check for crumbs every time you wait for your coffee to be brewed.”

But Jill’s philosophical “push” towards emptying the trash can it does not equate to a natural affinity for housework. McClelland says, “Social norms and individuals’ access landscapes are inextricably linked: social norms shape the access we perceive.”

However, this means individual efforts they are not enough to change the status quo: “Society needs action at a policy level, such as longer parental leave.”

Source: The Guardian