Well, it looks like it took the Brits across the pond to remind us of something we should have been paying attention to all along. An article in the Sunday Times out of London recently lamented the fact that – despite the growing number of women wage-earners and the increased support of men on the home front – we are raising our sons to believe in gender-biased chores.

We’ve all seen it. We’ve probably even done it. It’s sort of Upstairs, Downstairs for kids – only, instead of maids and butlers, it’s our sons and daughters. While we may give our kids an equal number of chores to do, we often assign boys to take out the trash or mow the lawn. Yet how often do boys help out with housework? Daughters, it seems, are much more likely to be asked to vacuum, dust, or help in the kitchen.

This is something we should address if we don’t want our boys growing up believing that housework is a woman’s job. Most likely this is a stereotype we’re perpetuating without even realizing it. It’d be a shame to have a generation of grown men who don’t think twice about a woman in the boardroom, yet scoff at the idea of grabbing a feather duster and tidying up at home.

Certainly, the number of men getting more involved in their children’s lives and with chores around the house should help combat this trend. A son who sees his father doing laundry or cooking dinner is more likely to do it himself. But to ensure that we don’t make all housework the sole burden of future generations of women, it’s not a bad idea to ask our sons to clean the bathroom or fold clothes one day instead of washing the car - if not for their own sake, then at least for that of their future wives.

Image: Getty Images

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