The following is a round-up of news items compiled by the Hitched editors during the week of June 27, 2014.
Little Has Changed In Household Chores
Women have leaned in at the office and the men have stepped in and picked up the slack at home, right? Well, the data seems to have stayed about the same for the past 10 years according to the latest American Time Use Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Back in their 2004 release 84% of women spent some of their time doing household activities, such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or financial and other household management compared to 63% of men. A decade later, these numbers haven’t moved much, changing to 83% for women and 65% for men. When they are engaged in housework, a decade ago women spent an average of 2.8 hours while men spent 2.1 hours. Today’s data shows men are working for the same amount of time while women are putting in 2.6 hours. Where men made the biggest gains was in the kitchen. Ten years ago 35% of men did food preparation or cleanup versus 66% of women; in 2013 the number has jumped to 42% of men and edged up to 68% for women. Will the share of household chores ever become more equal?
Find Out If Your Marriage Is Normal When It Comes To Money
One of the most commonly discussed topics in marriage is money. Whether it’s discussing finances with your spouse with a cool and level head; planning for a blissful financial future; and/or finding the right mortgage when purchasing your first home, discussing money can be a touchy subject many couples don’t want to address. If you’re having issues discussing finances with your spouse then this quiz—Is your Marriage Normal About Money—may help you break the ice and get the ball rolling in a non-threatening and non-confrontational way. This short, seven question quiz seeks to find out if you and your spouse manage your finances like most married couples, or in fact follow a different path. To calculate the outcome, the quiz checks your answers against those of the 1,000-plus husbands and wives who have participated in the www.Time.com national survey of love, marriage and money.
Steve Cooper is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Hitched. You can follow him on Twitter at @hitchedmedia.
