I LIKE BEING IN CHARGE OF THE HOME
GeMMa CLark, 27, a GP receptionist, and husband Martin, 31, a sales account manager, have been married for nearly two years. they have three children — emily, three, alex, 22 months, and seven month-old eilidh — and live in royton, Oldham. GEMMA: Food shop, laundry, cooking, cleaning, majority of childcare AVERAGE A DAY: 7 hours MARTIN: Walks the dogs, takes out the bins, evening childcare AVERAGE A DAY: 2 hours GEMMA SAYS: Martin works full-time, five days a week, and gets home at 6.45pm in the evening. I’ve just gone back to work two days a week, working sevenhour days, but I am still doing almost all the household chores, just like I did when I was at home full-time.
No, it’s not fair, but I prefer it that way. I feel the house is my domain, and only I know how to run it properly. I suppose it’s a control thing.
Our children are young so there are lots of sleepless nights. Martin is great at letting me go to bed early, and getting up with them in the night. He’s also brilliant at getting stuck in at bath time, as soon as he walks in the door.
Maybe when the children are older, and I am working more hours, we’ll think again about how we share jobs. MARTIN SAYS: I suppose the roles Gemma and I fall into are a bit stereotypical. But because she is at home she will pick up on the everyday tasks around the house and I feel more comfortable taking out the bins and walking the dogs because it’s dark at night and I don’t like the idea of her being out.
I like to think I contribute as much as I can. We rarely row about it and Gemma is not a nag, but I think our roles will become more equal in time, especially when Gemma does more hours.
My mum and dad divorced when I was four, so I became the ‘small man’ of the household, helping my mum a lot. That’s held me in good stead for our life now.