I think that men should help with housework

Especially when his wife/girlfriend also is working. But most of the time I hear women complaining that nobody helps them and they have to do everything by themselves. Why? Why men won't help until women tell them to do so?

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Quizzical · 46-50, M

This 'tradition' goes back to a time when primarily the man supported the family financially by going out to work and usually doing hard manual labour all day. The woman would stay at home, cook, clean, and raise children.

Now we live in an economic situation where a household cannot be supported by just one person working, but those old ideas that housework is a woman's job still persist. Eventually they will fade though.

SW-User

@Quizzical Pre-industrialisation this wasn't the case

Quizzical · 46-50, M

@SW-User Well, all things change in time, and the Industrial Age was very much instigated by men. Similar to this whole idea of 'The Patriarchy'... Again, a relatively recent mindset.

NankerPhelge · 61-69, M

@Quizzical Why were those traditional roles based on genitals? I have been wondering about that since I was 12 (or younger).

Quizzical · 46-50, M

@NankerPhelge Well, at its most basic it comes down to physiology and raising children from babies...

It's the secondary sexual characteristics that shaped societal leanings, not the primary.

A child needs to be fed and protected, woman have the means to feed the baby, men have the strength and stamina to work harder and longer, so we all just fell into those roles.

As society has changed those 'roles' have become largely obsolete.

NankerPhelge · 61-69, M

@Quizzical "A child needs to be fed and protected, woman have the means to feed the baby.... "

I classify those as primary rather than secondary "sexual characteristics", and roles should be based on who is best equipped for it psychologically, not biologically.

Quizzical · 46-50, M

@NankerPhelge Primary sexual characteristic would be the vagina... Breasts are a secondary sexual characteristic... Or not sexual at all if you believe the 'free the nipple' hype... lol

I am not stating what should be, I am stating what was. Things are totally different now. We have the means to store baby food etc so that either parent can do the feeding. Those old 'roles' have fallen by the wayside, it's just that society is taking time to catch up.

NankerPhelge · 61-69, M

@Quizzical Well, how did I manage to "catch up" more than 40 years ago if the rest of society still hasn't? And why am I still often put down for having been so enlightened at an early age?