# Gender specific jobs around the house.



## Bubbly Scot (30 Sep 2008)

I just lit a fire for the first time since I was in the scouts. It's always been Mr Bubblys job. It got me thinking about the jobs we accept as being our own around the house. In the Bubbly household the ones I can think off are...oh! and most of these are _assigned_ for practical reasons but a few just seemed to land where it felt natural.


Bins out/in - Mrs
Car washing- Mr (although recently assigned to kids)
Plant watering - Mr
Fire lighting/bringing in coal - Mr
cleaning up animal _spills_ - Mr (unless he's not here)
changing lightbulbs - Mr
Anything car related - Mr


Noticing a slight imbalance there  but then I do most of the everyday chores.


In years gone by, Mr Bubbly used to take my car and fill it with petrol but that has since become impractical.


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## Caveat (30 Sep 2008)

I'm sure Ms Caveat was a pyromaniac in a previous life  - anyway, she is most definitely the fire lighter (and is better at it) but I do everything else fire related.  I clean the cars and do the bins.  We share the cooking/washing up.  As regards general housework and garden work, she is the foreperson and I do what I'm told - it's easier. But generally she does most things clothes related.


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## ney001 (30 Sep 2008)

Mr - Dog poo/litter trays
Mr - Fire lighting
Mr - Bins
Mr - Grass cutting
Mr - tea maker

Me - Cooking/cleaning/shopping/laundry


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## Purple (30 Sep 2008)

I just realised that Mrs Purple does bugger all housework... she does work longer hours though.


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## Bubbly Scot (30 Sep 2008)

Purple said:


> I just realised that Mrs Purple does bugger all housework... she does work longer hours though.


 
Oppps! 

Mr Bubbly does a lot of house-y work if he's home and I'm out working.

Oh, and he carves the roast....that I cook!


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## Ciaraella (30 Sep 2008)

Bins are most definitly a Mr job in my house. My reasoning is that i'm very short and when i lift the bag and carry it out to the bin i have to hold it close to me and then i get bin juice all over me. I do make up for it by pulling all the hair out of the plughole as it's 99% mine, (long hair vs shaved head!)


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## Marion (30 Sep 2008)

Cooking – me
Fill/empty the dishwasher – me
Gardening related jobs – me 
Electrics – change bulbs/plugs – me
Turn on the fire – me
Recycling – me
Bin in and out – me
Fill washing machine – me
Vacuum – me
Cleaning – me
Fill car with petrol – me
Pay all bills – me
Shopping – me
Clean windows – me
General household jobs - me

I wonder is there e'er a chance of a tax break in the budget for singles who have to do all the household work themselves? 

Marion


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## rmelly (30 Sep 2008)

Marion said:


> Cooking – me
> Fill/empty the dishwasher – me
> Gardening related jobs – me
> Electrics – change bulbs/plugs – me
> ...


 
I was about to ask were you single - or a complete walkover...


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## Vanilla (30 Sep 2008)

Cooking – half and half. 
Fill/empty the dishwasher – half and half
Gardening related jobs – lawn cutting when we don't employ some one to do it is his job ( because he 'doesn't trust me with lawnmower'), weeding is mainly mine
Electrics – change bulbs/plugs – supposedly Mr.V's job unless I get tired of waiting for him to do it, then I do it myself
Turn on the fire – half n half
Recycling – half and half
Bin in and out – half and half
Fill washing machine – me
Ironing-me, but then this is when I get to watch anything recorded on sky+  because I banish the rest of the family for a few hours while I iron and watch tv.
Vacuum – the cleaner
Cleaning – the cleaner 
Fill car with petrol – I fill mine, he fills his
Pay all bills – direct debit all the way, but otherwise me.
Shopping – half and half
Clean windows – cleaner
General household jobs - any electrical/ electronic/ maintenance is really for him to do cause I don't know how mostly. But legal/tax/accounting/investing and general planning ahead issues are mine ( well and the accountant!).

I think we're pretty even.


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## Bubbly Scot (30 Sep 2008)

Vanilla said:


> General household jobs - any electrical/ electronic/ maintenance is really for him to do cause I don't know how mostly.


 
My husband commented recently that whilst doing my job I go charging around organising new floors, landscaping, replacement windows, lifts are fixed, entire apartment blocks are repainted with barely a furrow on my brow........yet come the weekend, he sends me out to buy a tin of paint and I'm calling him up from the store  "what kind do I get? how many tins? what brushes do you want?" 




> I think we're pretty even.


 
That's a good balance, I particularly like the bits where the person who does the task is "the cleaner".


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## cole (30 Sep 2008)

Creche run - me
School run - Mrs Cole
Cooking - 90% me
Gardening - me
Washing (filling machine, drying, folding etc) - me
Ironing - no one
Cleaning - 50/50
Walking the dog - 99% me
Shopping - me (that's how we save money!)
Paying bills - me (utilities/creche), Mrs Cole (mortgage)
Bin/recycling - me (mostly)
Putting Kids to bed - 50/50


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## Carpenter (30 Sep 2008)

Creche: Mrs C
Car and car related tasks: me
Cooking: 85% me
Cleaning: 50/50
Bins: 50/50
Bills: 70% me
Cat: Mrs C
Ironing: 60% me
Maintenance/ repairs: me
Shopping: Mrs C
Laundry: 50/50
Administration/ paperwork, formfilling: me
Keeping the whole ship afloat: 50/50


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## Simeon (30 Sep 2008)

Hey Carpenter! Surely your last line is a joke ............ or perhaps Mrs. C worked out the equation.


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## Henny Penny (30 Sep 2008)

school run - 50/50 - he drops, I pick up
afterschool activities/birthday party runs - me
cooking - me
cleaning - me - should get a bit more help from him
bins - him if I remind him - otherwise me
laundry - me
hoovering - me/him
shopping - me - but have roped him into grocery shopping recently
dishwasher - kids (I knew we had them for a reason)
cat - whoever gets up first feeds him - lives outside 
diy/painting - him
car washing - him
mowing lawn -him
ironing - nobody ... tumbledryer does most of the decreasing!

I could do all of his jobs, he couldn't do mine ... will have to address the balance a bit ... teach him to cook at least one meal a week.

Definitely have started giving the kids more responsibility ... putting away laundry, making lunch, unpacking shopping etc. As regards cleaning I pick stuff up once - the second time I have to lift it, it goes in the bin.


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## truthseeker (1 Oct 2008)

we dont have as many jobs as some mentioned here, no garden, no pets, no kids, but I reckon our job share goes something like:

Cooking - me
Hoovering - him
Bins - Him
Laundry - 50/50, I sort colours and fill washing machine, he empties
Dishwasher - 20/80 (more him as I cook and he clears)
Changing bedclothes - me
Cleaning bathrooms - me main bathroom, him ensuite
General cleaning/tidying - 50/50
Shopping - 50/50
Ironing - I enjoy it so me a lot, but him sometimes
Accounts - I ask for money - he hands it over 
Window cleaning - me
Handiman work (putting up a shelf, fixing something) - me, but only because I believe that I can do it better!!!


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## TarfHead (1 Oct 2008)

_Cooking – her
Fill/empty the dishwasher – 75/25 me/her
Gardening related jobs – her (I just cut the grass)
Electrics – change bulbs/plugs – me
House locked up, alarm set, electrical stuff turned off – me
Bin in and out – me
Fill/empty washing machine – 75/25 me/her
Vacuum – her, plus paid-for help
Ironng - my stuff - me, her stuff & kids, outsourced
Cleaning – her, plus paid-for help
Fill car with petrol – me
Pay all bills – me
Shopping – her
Clean windows – her inside, me outside
General household jobs - her mostly

Making sure all her TV programmes are not missed - me
Removing spiders from house - me
Getting up first at the weekend - me
Making pots of tea/coffee when both in house - me
_


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## truthseeker (1 Oct 2008)

TarfHead said:


> _Removing spiders from house - me_


 
Forgot that most important one - he is on spiders, im wasp duty.


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## Bubbly Scot (1 Oct 2008)

truthseeker said:


> Forgot that most important one - he is on spiders


 
same in our house! I just need to train him not to squash them against the walls with his shoe...'cos I have to do clean up duty!


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## truthseeker (1 Oct 2008)

Bubbly Scot said:


> same in our house! I just need to train him not to squash them against the walls with his shoe...'cos I have to do clean up duty!


 
Hoover is his weapon of choice, that way he can do the job from afar


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## Ceist Beag (1 Oct 2008)

Spiders are our friend, would never kill/hoover one - they help rid the house of the pest that are flies!!


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## truthseeker (1 Oct 2008)

Ceist Beag said:


> Spiders are our friend, would never kill/hoover one - they help rid the house of the pest that are flies!!


 
Small ones get left alone, ones who I cant fit a glass over to remove get hoovered.


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## Ceist Beag (1 Oct 2008)

truthseeker said:


> Small ones get left alone, ones who I cant fit a glass over to remove get hoovered.



 ... do ye then dump the hoover bag ... just in case they're still wriggling around in there like?


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## Betsy Og (1 Oct 2008)

Our system is based on the caveman model, things concerning outside the cave (bins, lawns, cars etc) and interacting the outside world (forms etc.)are mine, things concerning inside the house would be her domain.

But of course she rules her domain and in her domain her minions do her bidding, so I'm regularly called on to do jobs inside the house. I know she shouldnt have to ask, but at least I do when called upon so I think thats fair enough, I'm just very 'relaxed' about tidiness !! I hear of some men who will do most things but absolutely refuse to do some things like scrub the jacks or change a stinky napply - grow a pair lads.

Anyone else have a partner who is perfectly capable of doing a full time and responsible job but whenever ye are together you are the only one who can make enquiries, ring people, sort out any admin or hassle? Just strikes me as funny !!


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## truthseeker (1 Oct 2008)

Ceist Beag said:


> ... do ye then dump the hoover bag ... just in case they're still wriggling around in there like?


 
Nope - and yes, they do come back to haunt us a lot of the time, however himself wont use any other method except squashing, Im against squashing, but if I cant do the glass trick then that only leaves hoover. I often find a hoover bag victim wandering away from the hoover cupboard the next day, at which point I try to employ the glass. Interestingly, most guys who come back out dont stretch out as much when they first see the world again and I do manage to glass them and put them outside - at which point they tend to go big again and run off


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## DavyJones (1 Oct 2008)

Ceist Beag said:


> Spiders are our friend, would never kill/hoover one - they help rid the house of the pest that are flies!!




Reminds me of a story I once heard about an old lady who swallowed a fly, with hilarious consequences


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## Purple (1 Oct 2008)

Vanilla said:


> Cooking – half and half.
> Fill/empty the dishwasher – half and half
> Gardening related jobs – lawn cutting when we don't employ some one to do it is his job ( because he 'doesn't trust me with lawnmower'), weeding is mainly mine
> Electrics – change bulbs/plugs – supposedly Mr.V's job unless I get tired of waiting for him to do it, then I do it myself
> ...



Do you have other staff to serve meals and answer the door?


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## Purple (1 Oct 2008)

davyjones said:


> reminds Me Of A Story I Once Heard About An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly, With Hilarious Consequences :d


 Lol


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## Vanilla (2 Oct 2008)

Purple said:


> Do you have other staff to serve meals and answer the door?


 
If I could, I would...I believe in giving employment to the local community.


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## Purple (2 Oct 2008)

Vanilla said:


> If I could, I would...I believe in giving employment to the local community.



So would I, if I could... I’m just jealous.


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## Teabag (2 Oct 2008)

There is only one chore that Mrs Teabag and I will not share except for taking out the bins...

She makes the brown bread.
I do most of the eating.

Yummy.


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