What Do You Pay for Allowances?

Two recent studies about childhood chores and allowances show that old-fashioned ideas about gender roles are still in effect, even in the 21^st 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?