Why husbands really ought to do more chores

Housework bad for women’s health

IT is good news for older women desperate for their husbands to do more around the house.

They can now tell their spouse that too much time cooking and cleaning is bad for their health.

Too many household chores can cut older women’s chances of staying healthy by 25 per cent, a study found. The blame is put on women trapped in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning for hours on end.

But men can do more chores and stay healthy, probably because they spend more active time gardening and doing DIY.

Researchers looked at more than 36,000 pensioners from seven countries, including the UK, who reported their daily activities and general health.

Women who got less than seven hours of sleep a night, or too much sleep, were 25 per cent less likely to be in good health when doing more than three hours of housework a day.

But chores had no effect on the health of men who met the same criteria. And even taking away sleep, which can impact on people’s health, men appear healthier when doing jobs around the house.

The results suggest women should put their feet up more – or at least spend more time in the garden and less in the kitchen.

Dr Tilman Brand, co-author of the study from the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology in Germany, said: ‘The difference in the sexes’ health is probably to do with the type of housework women tend to do, which is a lot more routine, like cleaning and cooking.

‘While this probably has limited health benefits, it is not very physically active.

‘Men did much more active chores, such as gardening and

‘May increase fitness levels’

maintenance. The exertion is good for the health.’

Older men and women spend more time on housework compared to those still working.

But the study found the bulk of the chores still fall to women, who in Britain spend almost four hours a day doing housework. Men spend less than two-and-a-half hours.

The study states: ‘Gardening and maintenance activities may increase fitness levels and muscle strength because they require some form of physical exertion such as digging holes and carrying soil.’

This may explain why men who did six or more hours of housework a day were 68 per cent more likely to report good health.

The study’s lead author, Nicholas Adjei, from the University of Bremen, said: ‘The percentage of those aged 65 years and above is increasing globally due to higher life expectancy.

‘It is important to understand how older adults spend their time in these later years and the possible positive and negative implications for their health.’