The old adage may ring true. If you want something done right, do it yourself...at least if you're a woman. A new British study found women spend on average three hours a week re-doing chores that they've asked their husband or co-habitating boyfriend to do, reported Good Morning America.
From wiping down wet countertops to not making the bed, there is a laundry list of chores that women think men do poorly but do not address or try to show their men the correct way to do it. In fact, "the survey also revealed one fifth of men aren’t even aware of the fact they do the chores badly -- and half of women say they don’t bother nagging them to do better," according to The Daily Mail. Additionally, about two-thirds of the 2,000 women surveyed by Sainsbury's said they believed their partners showed genuine effort while doing chores.
Effort is all well and good, but is it really worth spending three hours of a woman's time re-doing chores? It seems a little unjustified and a waste of time to some. "It's inefficient division of labor if I will just be re-doing something that should be done right the first time," says a publishing manager from Brooklyn who wished to remain anonymous. "It is disrespectful of my time and our living situation for my significant other to do a half-assed job on a task and think that it's good enough," she added. She's currently engaged and living with her partner of four years.
However, men do spend more time cleaning and doing chores than ever before. Nowadays, four out of 10 households share cleaning and home upkeep responsibilities. And, for some men, it's a great way to show their love for their busy counterpart ... even if they aren't around. "For me, cleaning and organizing is a habit -- I don't really think about it," says Stylelist Home blogger Chris Barnes, who identifies as the 'organized one' in his relationship. "But I do feel a sense of accomplishment when things are in the right place. And, I also like feeling that I'm helpful, because I know [my girlfriend] is incredibly busy. So, if she re-did chores, I would think she lost her mind."
Whether a man is doing a chore properly or not, at least there's (hopefully) good intentions involved. Although, if you're a woman and you're dissatisfied with your partner's cleaning abilities, it might just be easier to tell him what he's doing wrong. Apparently, a little honesty can save you hours.