“why can’t the men who are home - and not working - pick up the slack with washing dishes and cleaning the house?”
They can, but it’s difficult for a man to find a partner to support them financially in exchange for doing that kind of work.
The previous poster I responded to implied that feminism (and laziness?) lured women out into the workforce so they could avoid housework. And that this was the reason men weren’t working. Or something like that. It confused me.
Anyway, if these non-working men are already home, and their spouse is working (to avoid that pile of laundry and unloading the dishwasher, of course) the men at home can pick up the messes and clean.