British women spend over three weeks on household chores every year Over 40 per cent of women enjoy less than one hour of “me time” every week Four in ten women attacked by ‘The Guilt Factor’ and feel guilty about leaving their house untidy
The research commissioned by Philips PerfectCare found that women spend over three solid weeks on household chores including ironing, washing and dusting every year[1], with 92 per cent of these women multi-tasking their chores. One in ten even admitted to spending four hours each day on household chores – the equivalent of two whole months a year!
In the week that sees the launch of the Sarah Jessica Parker film, “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” which sees her character balancing her demanding career with raising two children, over half of women questioned admitted that time was the main obstacle when doing household chores with misbehaving children emerging second.
The survey found that women are constantly looking for ways in which to save time when doing their chores with reliable, time-saving appliances being the best option for 45 per cent of respondents, followed by help from their partner.
The pressure to be the perfect mum is higher than ever. Mums aspire to be like celebrities who appear to do a perfect job of juggling a career with family life and still manage to look great at the school gates. The research found that Holly Willoughby, Angelina Jolie and Myleene Klass were named as celebrity mums women most admired.
However, it appears that despite all this time spent doing household chores, most women do not feel like they are doing enough and are attacked by ‘The Guilt Factor.’ Over 40 per cent of mothers still feel guilty about leaving their house untidy, nearly 30 per cent felt guilty about not having time for their partners and friends and over one in five felt guilty about their personal appearance, with scruffy clothes being a common concern.
“The truth is that however organised we are as mums and however streamlined our systems, there are simply never enough hours in the day to be all things to all people all of the time,” said celebrity psychologist Jo Hemmings. “Striving to be the perfect mum, loving partner as well as being brilliant at our job inevitably makes us feel guilty that we may feel that we are great at one or two of these things, but only at the expense of another.”
“This unnecessary guilt, which in itself is rarely productive, can often be overcome by acknowledging that we need to have realistic and manageable expectations (and deserve a bit of ‘me time’) and that we are actually doing pretty well juggling all of those roles given the demands on our time.”
‘The Guilt Factor’ Top 10
Leaving house untidy
Not seeing friends
Not having enough time for partner
Having a massive ironing pile
Leaving dirty dishes
Personal appearance
Not having enough time to spend with the kids on homework
Leaving house dirty
Not having dinner ready
What you feed your children
Survey Provided By Phillips
Tagged in Sarah Jessica Parker