Men may not 'perceive' domestic tasks as needing doing in the same way as women, philosophers argue

Science Daily ^

[FarCenter]

Philosophers seeking to answer questions around inequality in household labour and the invisibility of women's work in the home have proposed a new theory -- that men and women are trained by society to see different possibilities for action in the same domestic environment.

They say a view called "affordance theory" -- that we experience objects and situations as having actions implicitly attached -- underwrites the age-old gender disparity when it comes to the myriad mundane tasks of daily home maintenance.

For example, women may look at a surface and see an implied action -- 'to be wiped' -- whereas men may just observe a crumb-covered countertop.

The philosophers believe these deep-seated gender divides in domestic perception can be altered through societal interventions such as extended paternal leave, which will encourage men to build up mental associations for household tasks.

[A_perfect_lady]

There is one thing women don’t do , can not do or ever will do: Kill bugs. Women can not bring themselves to ever kill a bug. I wish someone would explain that to me.

I can't explain it myself. I can tell you that I have a bug-removal kit consisting of a clear plastic cup and a flat plastic sheet about 5X7 inches, and I trap them under the cup, carefully scooch them over onto the sheet (carefully, so as not to break their tiny legs) and then out the back door we go and into the grass. My conscience is clear.

[ExGeeEye]

The phrasing was pitch-perfect...

[MayflowerMadam]

“Maybe men and women are different?”

That’s true. But the deal is that PEOPLE are different. This isn’t a gender thing.

I’m pretty sure Hubby is a man, but he’s an OCD Physicist. When it comes to general “domestic tasks”, no matter what I do, he does it over again.

But, for instance, the dishwasher. After he loads it, I rearrange everything. If I didn’t, it would run three times more than it needs to. Laundry: He’d throw everything — and I mean everything — in the same load.

People are different. Who knew?

[MayflowerMadam]

“There is one thing women don’t do , can not do or ever will do: Kill bugs.”

What about bats? On my honeymoon with my now ex-husband we rented a remote cabin in Maine. There was a bat in the bedroom. Hubby hid under the covers, and I got the bat with a big trash can.

(I did mention that he’s my EX,)

[mmichaels1970]

Seems like another “man is stupid” hit piece by yet another feminazi.

That’s ok. The article explains how Cambridge plans to “fix us”. Never state a problem without a proposed solution I suppose.

"We can change how we perceive the world through continued conscious effort and habit cultivation," said McClelland. "Men should be encouraged to resist gendered norms by improving their sensitivity to domestic task affordances.

"A man might adopt a resolution to sweep for crumbs every time he waits for the kettle to boil, for example. Not only would this help them to do the tasks they don't see, it would gradually retrain their perception so they start to see the affordance in the future."

Collective efforts to change social norms require policy-level interventions, argue the philosophers. For example, shared parental leave gives fathers the opportunity to become more sensitive to caring-task affordances.

[joma89]

And I did not even have to read the useful idiot’s hit piece to know it was a hit piece.

[who knows what evil?]

I can tell you that I have a bug-removal kit consisting of a clear plastic cup and a flat plastic sheet about 5X7 inches, and I trap them under the cup, carefully scooch them over onto the sheet (carefully, so as not to break their tiny legs) and then out the back door we go and into the grass. My conscience is clear.

Ditto...I'm very 'pro-life'. :-) God have mercy on any bug that my wife finds first, however.

[mmichaels1970]

And what kind of man “waits for the kettle to boil”?

[LilFarmer]

I also hate shopping!

Everyone is different

I kill bugs and spiders, and sometimes snakes but I prefer to leave them alone (in the barn). I also mow, weedeat, trim hedges, bush hog the pasture, burn brush piles, haul grain/hay for animals, trim hooves, garden, till, preserve/can, handle the bills and taxes. I can fix most things inside the house including minor plumbing like cleaning out the p-trap, I have put up drywall, laid a ton of tile, replaced deck boards, paint, stain, etc. plus normal household things.

I used to wait for hubby to come home to do things, but honestly, once I overcame my fear of power tools, drills, and hand/table saws, it just made sense for me to fix stuff. And when the boys were older, they helped. We homeschooled so shop class was part of the curriculum lol

I enjoy doing all of it. I can’t stand to sit around - I almost always have some project I’m working on.

BUT I don’t use the chainsaw or log splitter and I don’t work on cars. I don’t grill! But I did build my husband a table for his big green egg for his birthday lol.

[mmichaels1970]

Chances are, a man who “waits for a kettle to boil” is already adept at sweeping up crumbs….if you get my drift.

[BlackAdderess]

Thank you! That’s really nice, Merry Christmas to you :)

[zeestephen]

205 Comments as I write this.

I have not seen a 200+ post in a while.

A post about house work!

My theory - even boys who live alone would hire a house keeper, if they could afford one.

[mmichaels1970]

My wife would hire a housekeeper tomorrow if we could afford one. Her mom did.

[FarCenter]

Gender politics, academic idiocy, housework, ...

It touches several nerves.

[Openurmind]

“I can change the oil & the filter.

I can change headlight bulbs & adjust them.

I can change a tire—altho strength is waning

I can paint—inside or outside.

I can change spark plugs-—in car/truck/lawn mower

I can use 26” blade chain saw & clean it every night for use next day.

STILL FEMALE NOW 83”

Ranch lifestyle... :)

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Are they bugs large enough to feed a family of four?

I mean... I have a crossbow ;)

Klaus Schwab would love that.

You will eat ze giant boogs.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I like going after palmetto bugs. They’re basically the slower, dumber cousins of cock-a-roaches.

[TalBlack]

I’ve been saying this for years, that women bitch about WHEN or the frequency with which men wash dishes rather than WHETHER. I tell my wife “If you don’t want to wash dishes, leave them, sooner or later I’ll wash them”…just as I always have since I moved out of the family my home.

[Rummyfan]

Men may not 'perceive' domestic tasks as needing doing in the same way as women, philosophers argue

No! Really? Shocking!

[cyclotic]

Your chart is right on for many. In our case, my wife hates to shop so it’s not so bad.

We went to Kohl’s and Penney’s the other day for some clothes for me. I think besides a couple pair of jeans from Walmart, I haven’t bought any clothes in 3 years.

I mostly wear company logo shirts for work or a logo shirt for an organization I volunteer with. Non-logo clothes are rare for me.