No change in men's hours of housework over 20 years: survey

An annual study has found men are doing the same amount of housework on average as they were 20 years ago.

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) long-term survey has been tracking the daily habits of more than 17,000 people in Australia since 2001. The latest data, released this week, covers trends for 2022.

Women are now spending more time in employment than housework, compared to two decades ago, when the reverse was true.

Housework

HILDA captures trends across a broad cross-section of Australians’ finances, social life, mental health, household activities and family life.

Part of the yearly survey asks participants, aged 18-64, about how many hours they spend per week on:

• Errands — “shopping... paying bills, and keeping financial records”

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• Housework — “preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning”
• Outdoor tasks — “home [and] car maintenance… or gardening”

Changes

Compared to 20 years ago, the report noted: “Men’s engagement in housework has changed little over time.“

While the average number of hours women spend doing housework has dropped, it is still about 50% higher than men.

On average, men with children did more housework (15.5 hours) than men without children (11.4 hours). Single dads did the most housework of any men, with 17.4 hours weekly.