A good friend of mine who got married recently disclosed to me via Facebook that his marriage was experiencing problems, but he didn’t reveal the details. Fearing the worst for a marriage that was barely a month old I invited him for tea.
At first he would not disclose what was disturbing him, but with a little prodding he opened up.
He revealed that his wife was faithful and neither was she mistreating him. She was all good. I got curious, what could possibly be the problem then? When he finally confessed his problem, I almost hit him.
The man was mad that the wife was making him help with household chores. He even claimed how it made him feel like less of a man. At first he assumed that it was just a temporary request since they had moved into a new house and she needed time to adjust. But the requests became regular and he was forced to wipe the dishes, mop the floor and even cook at times.
A Duty Roster
The wife had even gone ahead and made a duty roster for household chores. I could not believe that this was what was making him contemplate calling it quits. Some men!
Why men believe that they should not help with housework is a mystery to me. When they were the sole breadwinners, back in the dark ages, while the woman stayed home to look after the children it probably would have made sense. But today given that both sexes are expected to help with the financial burden, it’s unfair to expect the woman to do everything.
At the end of the day they both come home tired and worn out. And contrary to the multitasking ‘mambo jumbo’, women too get tired just like men. So a man who comes home, puts his dirty feet on the stool, begins to read the newspaper and demand supper without lending a hand is being unreasonable.
If the man is the sole breadwinner then he can make such demand but if both of them are working, it’s only fair that they help each other with the household chores.
