What a housewife's work is worth

I saw this on BBC news while drinking my coffee today and this reminds me of the flurry of comments related to my post "The Good Wife's Guide" (see below, under REAL NEWS) in particular the fantastic and right-on comment by "Taina" which listed jobs where being a woman is regarded as an advantage. This, in response to my original account of several recent conversations I have had with my very accomplished women friends about the dilemmas faced by us, the fallacy that we can "have it all," the struggle for parity with men including partners or husbands, and finally, the fact that some men suffer from a sense of entitlement that often coincides with a misguided arrogance.


From BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7252504.stm?lsm

Nearly three-quarters of those polled said it was a full-time job

Housewives would be paid more than the average worker if they received the going rate for their household chores, a survey has suggested. A poll of 4,000 housewives for networking website alljoinon.com suggested that the average mum worked for nearly nine hours a day every day.

The website said a housewife would earn almost £30,000 a year if she was employed to do all the same errands.

The average annual UK wage is £23,700, according to official figures.

Some 71% of those polled agreed that successfully running the family home was a full-time job.

"The survey clearly demonstrates that not only do housewives deserve a wage for their efforts, they also need a break from the daily grind," said Carolyn Morris, spokeswoman for alljoinon.com.

The chores are yours

An average mum would spend 273 minutes every day looking after the children, according to the poll. Based on an hourly rate of £8, a nanny would earn £36.80 a day for the same job.


The survey claims 71 minutes a day is spent cleaning and tidying
Cleaning and tidying for 71 minutes would net a cleaner £7.10 a day. For more than an hour of cooking a head chef would get £17.30.

Fourteen minutes making the beds is worth £1.29 for a chambermaid, and a kitchen assistant would be paid £2.57 for a housewife's typical 28 minutes of washing up.

The poll said the average mum trawled the family finances for 39 minutes, which would cost £12.50 if an accountant did it.

A taxi driver would earn £2.53 for the 23 minutes of ferrying children around, and a mystery shopper £2.10 for the 18 minutes a day of grocery shopping.

Single women 'do less'

HAVE YOUR SAY
Would you really want to put a price on your wife? I'd rather pitch in and do my fair share.
James, Belfast
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Last year, a study said that employed women living with their employed partner spent more time doing housework than single women.
Labour economist Helene Couprie, of Toulouse University, concluded that on average, an employed woman does 15 hours a week of housework when she lives with her employed partner, up from 10 hours when single.

Men, on the other hand, see the hours they commit to housework decline once they begin living as a couple, she found.

In the year to April 2007, average earnings of full-time male employees were £498 per week, while for women it was £394, according to the Office of National Statistics.