When it comes to sharing household chores, women still do most of the heavy lifting, but men are increasingly pulling their weight around the house.
According to a newly released report by Statistics Canada, about 61 per cent of women still do the majority of the laundry and 56 per cent take on meal preparation. Seventy-eight per cent of men looked after outdoor work and repairs.
The survey gathered data from people aged 20 and older in Canada who were married or living common-law at the time of the 2017 General Social Survey.
It found the most often shared tasks equally among couples were doing dishes, grocery shopping and organizing the household’s social life.
When both spouses or partners work, meal preparation is the task most likely to be shared.
When men were the only ones in a couple who had a job, laundry was mostly done by women, and men took care of household finances and paying bills.
The survey says since the 1970s, women have increased their levels of education and more have paid jobs like men. This has created a shift in the role of women in Canadian society and often affects the distribution of household tasks between men and women in a couple relationships.
