The chart illustrates the average number of hours devoted to household chores by women in three employment categories (unemployed, part-time, and full-time) compared with men in full-time work in the United Kingdom in 1985, 1995, and 2005.
Overall, women consistently spent more time on domestic duties than men, regardless of their employment status. Unemployed women always recorded the highest figures, while full-time employed women and men devoted the least time. Notably, hours spent by full-time employed women rose considerably by 2005, whereas men’s involvement showed only a marginal increase.
In 1985, unemployed women spent an average of 7 hours per day on housework, a figure which dipped slightly to 6.5 hours in 1995 before returning to 7 hours in 2005. Similarly, women in part-time work carried out just over 5 hours of household tasks in 1985, fell to 5 hours a decade later, and then rose again to 6 hours by the end of the period.
By contrast, women in full-time employment initially spent only 2 hours on domestic chores in 1985, falling modestly to 1.5 hours in 1995. However, this figure nearly doubled to about 3 hours in 2005. Men in full-time work consistently recorded the lowest figures, averaging just 1 hour in both 1985 and 1995, with a slight rise to 1.5 hours in 2005