What's wrong with the division of household duties and why videos about "housewife husbands" on Tik Tok are not objective

Social media is full of comical, romantic, and instructive videos about men doing housework, and 62% of women still believe that they bear the brunt of the work. The unequal treatment of men and women on social media is self-explanatory, but women housewives are harshly criticized and labeled derogatory, while men who play the same role are supported and admired by the online community.

And all of this content, El Pais reports, is based on the same (controversial) premise - that no one would work if their partners earned enough to support them.

"Would you still work if your wife had a seven-figure salary?" asks one of the participants in the viral video, including a robot vacuum cleaner. "I take care of the house, while my wife earns 100 thousand a month," replies another proud man dancing while cleaning.

In one of the videos, a woman is surprised to find that her husband has come home and done all the work at home while she was at work. "Judging by her reaction, this happens once a year," one viewer commented wryly.

Unequal distribution of housework

TikTok's trend of "domestic men" coincided with the recent launch of the Me Toca program, developed by the Spanish Ministry for Equality. This program measures and fairly distributes the time each family member spends on household chores.

Thus, according to a study conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health of Spain, women spend 12.5 hours a week on unpaid work more than men, which leads to the fact that they spend 5.8 hours less than men in paid work.

In addition, a recent study of Spain's working-age population conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) showed that 76% of part-time contracts are held by women, who increase their unpaid work hours to 30 hours per week. Men, on the other hand, spend only 14 hours a week on unpaid work, regardless of their work schedule.

The conclusion: the humorous, romantic, and devoted men in all these TikTok videos are clearly rare in real life.

"The problem of expectations has serious consequences. Without achieving equality on the domestic front, it is impossible to expect women to have the same opportunities as men," say experts on equal distribution of responsibilities in the family.

The good news is that most couples with children do understand the importance of sharing household duties and chores, and that spouses should share the load and set an appropriate example for their children.

An ode to the home

Begoña Pérez Diez de los Ríos, known on social media as "La Ordenatriz" ("The Organizer"), has more than a million followers who turn to her for advice on how to keep their homes clean and organized.

"Indeed, there is still a perception that women should take care of everything and manage everything. It's often difficult for couples to keep track of their children's extracurricular activities, vaccinations, and school schedules. However, today, people seem to be starting to realize that sharing household duties is the right thing to do, and my colleagues and I have made it more professional."

Beatriz Gimeno Reynoso, Director of the Spanish Government's Institute for Women, recently wrote: "The discussion of domestic work involves addressing the inherent problem that it is often undervalued and does not have the same level of social and labor protection as work outside the home."

The organizer clearly explains the reason for this opinion. "The thing is that this work is not paid. And unpaid labor is simply not valued, as if the time was free. This issue should be addressed by society. We need to value people who dedicate themselves to caring for parents, children, sick and dependent people - and do it all for free."