In the U.S., the average woman spends so much more time on chores than the average man that this year, to equalize the load, women would have to quit housework entirely on Sep. 5 for the remainder of 2023.
And that represents progress: The gender gap in chores narrowed a bit from last year, when women would have had to quit on Aug. 29, a day I dubbed "Equal Housework Day.”
Since 2012, men have added about 12 minutes a day of household labor, extending a gradual long-term rise. To my surprise, women haven’t dialed back though, but have added about 5 minutes each day. If men are doing more, why aren’t women doing less?