We might be one of the top 20 countries in the world for mothers, and even one of the best countries in the world to be a woman, but when it comes to taking care of our homes, Canadian women are getting the short end of the stick.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development "Better Life Index," released this week, Canadian women on average spend 254 minutes a day cooking, cleaning or caring (for children, we assume), whereas men spend 160 minutes on the same tasks.
The section of the OECD report, which is entitled "Work-Life Balance" points out that Canadian men surpass the OECD average of 141 minutes per day, and that they tend to fall into the "work very long hours" category more often than women (four per cent more often, to be exact). The report also notes that 75 per cent of men are employed outside the home, vs. 69 per cent of women.
The information comes on the heels of other articles finding a rising number of female breadwinners in families, according to Maclean's, as well as stories about "alternative" arrangements in which fathers stay home with the children, instead of mothers.
But the statistics and cultural norms are telling a different story. According to a joint study from University of Toronto and Long Island University, childcare in particular is still viewed as "women's work," and men who help significantly with it or take time off for parental leave may be discriminated against in their jobs more than a woman.
Meanwhile, one study published in the American Sociological Review (with, it must be noted, two decade-old data) said men who do more chores around the house have less sex.
While we're not convinced marriages and partnerships that divide tasks equally aren't what we should all be striving for, there are circumstances in which it makes sense — say, when one partner is better than the other at cooking.
What do you think? Should men and women be doing an equal amount of housework, or does it make sense for one person to do more?
Best And Worst Canadian Cities For Women
#20 Edmonton(01 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Edmonton comes in second to last place in areas of women’s political representation — currently one woman is elected at the municipal level. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#19 Oshawa, Ont.(02 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Women earn about $14,000 less per year than men in Oshawa for all jobs, and there is a higher than average number of sexual assaults per year. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#18 Windsor, Ont.(03 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Men outnumber women in jobs in trades and apprenticeships at a rate of more than two to one. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#17 Calgary(04 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Calgary has one of the worst records among the top 30 cities for promoting women into senior management positions. Women only hold 22 per cent of these jobs. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#16 Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont.(05 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: The rate of sexual assaults reported to the police in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo areas is slightly higher than the national average. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#15 London, Ont.(06 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: The people of London (about 66 per cent of men and 62 per cent of women), identify their health as good or excellent. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#14 St Catharines, Ont.(07 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Compared to other cities on this list, both men and women report high levels of stress. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#13 Vancouver(08 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Women living in Vancouver have the highest life expectancy compared to other cities. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#12 Winnipeg(09 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Winnipeg has the highest rates of police reported incidents of sexual assault compared to the rest of these cities. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#11 Regina(10 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Regina has one of the best records for women's representation in senior management positions — even though men still outnumber women. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#10 Hamilton, Ont.(11 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: More than a quarter of women in Hamilton (28 per cent) identify their lives as highly stressful. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#9 Halifax(12 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Halifax scored the highest in terms of having the smallest gap for men and women's employment. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#8 Sherbrooke(13 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Even with one of the smallest populations on this list, Sherbrooke, Que. has nearly equal levels of employment for men and women. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#7 Ottawa-Gatineau(14 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Women can expect to earn the most money in Ottawa-Gatineau. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#6 Toronto(15 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: The wage gap in Toronto is smaller than average — women earn about 77 cents on the male dollar. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#5 Victoria(16 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Victoria has one of the highest rates of women holding senior management positions — 33 per cent. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#4 Montreal(17 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Women are more likely to have diplomas (high school, college and university) than men in Montreal. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#3 St. John's(18 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: St. John's has one woman for every two men in top management jobs. However, it is also the only city with no female city councillor. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#2 Saskatoon(19 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Four out of 11 city councilors are women. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#1 Quebec City(20 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: At the number one spot, Quebec had the highest scores in areas of women's leadership and the lowest rate of police-reported sexual and domestic violence cases. (credit:WikiMedia:)