*Ah, Yabby, would that this were true: then none of us would have anything to worry about.*

Ah Romany, but I remind you, mother nature had it all worked out.
Men did the hunting, women picked the berries and minded the
kids. It was all very complimentary indeed!

Now if women decide to put on their pants and go out hunting,
they should not be amazed or complain, if they get tripped up
in the heat of the battle. Those who do, would have clearly
been better off, sticking to picking berries :)

Vanilla,

I think when you have articles like this that throw up women doing more housework as an example of discrimination, it really does weaken the argument as being a disgruntled woman nag. You cant and shouldn't legislate on housework, so the point is just to have a whinge I feel. It weakens the other points that appear next to it.

Your reality is obviously different, but it is a common complaint of women that men don't do enough housework.

My answer to such nags is....

Don't do it then. Danielle's advice is the best:-)

There's too many martyrs in the world.

Bronyn
To state, as you both have, that most domestic chores either don't need to be done at all, or if they do they don't need to take as long as they do

Don't know how yo got this out of my thread, I can only assume that you are in 'self defence' mode, ever watchfull for the man who dares to have his say.

Vanilla, my pleasure.

Some more if you are interested
http://neweconomist.blogs.com/new_economist/2007/06/women_wealth.html - this one suggests that the number of very wealthy women in the USA peaked in the late 60's and has since declined. It also suggests that in Britian women hold 48% of the nations personal wealth.

http://oss.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/25/6/969?ck=nck
A brief for a research paper which claims "In countries with a relatively small or relatively large proportion of female workers, all workers are underpaid to the extent that merit pay and strikes are relatively rare." - need a password to get at the article :(

A trascript of a BBC4 interview which touches on this
http://www.rochdalewomensenterprisenetwork.co.uk/womensnews/womensnews_interface/Results/moneybox%202%5B1%5D.doc

An article which looks at the sources of female wealth http://www.newsroom.barclays.co.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=1092&NewsAreaID=2 including the following summary of sources of womens wealth

"Wealth is largely driven from earnings and business ownership (83.9 per cent) or from personal investments (32.8 per cent). This compares to marriage (24.7 per cent), divorce (2.2 per cent) and inheritance (19.9 per cent), which the research shows are becoming less important sources of wealth. "

I've not managed to locate anything dealing with this stuff for Australia so far. I wonder what the proportions of wealth held by women and men are in this country.

R0bert

Yabby,

“... high class call girls in America, the tops being paid 5000$ an hour, lesser ones (depreciation?), 1000$ an hour. “

It really is a buyer’s market. There would be as many pretty ones, with all the right accoutrements, as these girls. I suspect that they are mostly utilized by embassies as “gifts,” and big business wanting to swing a deal. These girls would be listed among “entertainment expenses” as tax deductions.

What man would pay that much ...?

An old salt, a connoisseur of every brothel from Portsmouth to Buenos Aires, used to say: “All cats are grey in the dark”.

Big business also pay for trips for clients of both sexes overseas - admittedly there may be a conference thrown in, but the conferences are held in very exotic places with five-star accommodation. Even where world-class golfing tournaments are being held.

James H.

I , too, know of many dinks who employ a housekeeper; also diwks.

“I have known house husbands ... wipe down the kitchen bench just before she came home and the first thing she will do is wipe down the kitchen bench, another ... would vacuum the floor before she arrived home ... first thing she would do is... vacuum the floor.”

I can well believe that this occurs; and the couples concerned have to address this openly and calmly, if possible, and a decision made as to which one is to do the task. Both doing it ...?

An earlier generation imposed upon women the belief that she was not a “proper” woman if her house wasn’t sparkling and a person couldn’t eat off the floor. Women can be painfully critical of other women’s housekeeping skills. My own mother, who had a live-in household staff of 5 to 6, was very critical of my “skills.’ I rebelled, and decided my priorities; yet I still maintain residual guilt ...

People - of either sex - can have as much passion for their home, as gardeners for their gardens. This can go beyond “housework”.

cont ...

I agree with Bronwyn. Most women engage in degrees of give and take regarding money and financial issues. I would hazzard a guess that most women will forgo something she wants, for the benefit of the family.

Undoubtedly there are women who are out for what they can get; also men who do the same. Many divorced/widowed women have lost everything to such men. This behaviour is not gender specific.

rehctub

“My wife and I recently had a tift and she said that I could'nt even fold cloths. I replied, "yes I can, I just don't fold them as neatly as you do”

I’ve had some very nasty ... indeed, painful tussles ... with my husband when I’ve begun hammering nails into things. Men can be VERY fussy too! Now if I go near a hammer, he rushes to takes. He shows alarm if I attempt to prise open a can of paint ...

The competency to use hammer and paint is gender-free; but my husband considers me - quite unfairly - incompetent here... just like your wife, rehctub, in your folding clothes.

Importantly ... jobs which need to get done, get done ...

As in business, also in the household, the idea should be to work smarter, not harder and longer hours

You state:

“ ... others have to look like an oil painting ...”

Agreed.

However, some husbands expect their wives to look gorgeous all the time. Have you any idea how painful waxes can be ... or having strange substances injected into your lips or around your eyes .. and having to wear stiletto heels !

An old French saying: "To be beautiful, one must suffer."

Then there is the fear of “trophy wives” ... waiting in the wings ...

A man shouldn’t be looked down upon, considered unmasculine, if he is a house-husband and primary child-carer, and his partner, a career-woman, the bread-winner. I know two of such cases and it works superbly. Nor should a woman be considered unfeminine if she strives to reach the top in some industry, or in parliament.