Two
recent studies about childhood chores and allowances show that old-fashioned
ideas about gender roles are still in effect, even in the 21st
century.
A
2009 study of 3,000 kids, conducted by University of Michigan economists, found
that girls, on average, were given two more hours of chore responsibilities
than boys. That same year, Highlights magazine,
a children’s publication, surveyed its
readers and found that 75 percent of girls had chores, while just 65 percent of
boys did.
And
to make the disparity even worse, it turns out that girls are paid less for the
chores they do than boys are. The theory is that when boys are given chores
like mowing the lawn or raking leaves it is perceived as harder work than doing
chores girls are more likely to be given like laundry or dishes.
So
here’s my question to you. What chores did you do as a child? Did you have
siblings? What did your brothers and sisters do for chores?
I
grew up in the 60s and 70s and the chores my brother and sister and I were
given really did reflect traditional gender roles. I set the table at dinner,
my sister cleared the table and my brother mowed the lawn. Even after my
brother went off to college, my sister and I were not asked to mow the lawn
even though we were both athletes and certainly strong enough. I was in my
twenties before I mowed my parent’s lawn and that was only because they were
out of town for 2 weeks.( In my father’s defense, I did make a mess of it that
one time I mowed!)
Now
that I have teenage daughters of my own I find that my husband is reluctant to
ask them to mow. My youngest is certainly
strong enough, but I can guarantee you she won’t be doing it any time soon. So
my girls help with laundry, trash and the dishes. How 60s of us!
What
chores do your kids do or will they do when they are older? Do they follow
traditional gender roles?
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