THE STATISTICS

Even before the UK was forced into lockdown last week, women were shouldering far more extra responsibilities than men. According to a Direct Line study, 64% of mothers are still the primary carer for their children, compared to just 36% of fathers. Women also receive less recognition for their efforts: 12% are never praised for looking after their children, compared to just 4% of men, says the study.

Similarly, women are more likely to be carers for the elderly than men. Of the 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK, 58% – 3.34 million – are women, finds Age UK. Women are also more likely to be ‘sandwich carers’ – caring for young children and elderly parents simultaneously. In addition, women are far more likely to have had to quit their job or work part-time due to caring responsibilities.

Housework is yet another responsibility with a gender bias. According to the Office for National Statistics, when it came to unpaid chores at home, women were doing almost 40% more than men on average. Men were spending, on average, 16 hours a week on chores, compared to women’s average of 26 hours. Mothers on maternity leave were calculated as doing the most unpaid work.