On 8/2/2011 8:17 AM, Giusi wrote:

> I know several men who take a full share. Properly running a house of any
> size is a huge job. I also know men of today who never lift a finger even
> though wife works all day, stops off to do the shopping, then cooks, cleans
> etc. Just recently my neighbor Marcello learned to hang the laundry out.
> Their child is on crutches so mother almost collapsed from fatigue, ergo...

In my observation, that pattern is set very early in a relationship
and is very difficult to change once it's the routine. Maybe I just
married very reasonable men or maybe when it was pointed out that I
worked all day and I'm not taking all the home stuff on as a second
job, it only made sense. It just was never a problem for me.

Growing up, I was the only girl and the oldest. My stepmother thought
it was just fine that I do all the housework while my brothers didn't
lift a finger. I knew that wasn't going to work for me once I moved
out. Years later she asked but don't you think it's your job? No,
Mom, I have a job. If I didn't I'd say yeah, I could do all the
housework while he worked.

nancy