Women responsible for more jobs at Christmas than men as they spend three full days preparing
From buying, wrapping and delivering the presents to making sure the inside of the home is looking its best in time for visitors, women are much busier than their male partners over Yuletide
WOMEN are responsible for 17 jobs over Christmas -- while men get away with doing just NINE, a study has found.
From buying, wrapping and delivering the presents to making sure the inside of the home is looking its best in time for visitors, women are much busier than their male partners over Yuletide.
Women will spend an average of 72 hours - the equivalent of three full days - completing tasks like decorating the tree and the inside of the home, doing the pre-Christmas food shop and getting the children to write thank-you cards.
In comparison, blokes will spend around 29 hours decorating and cleaning the outside of the house, carving the turkey and building the children’s new toys.
Jenny Questier from cleaning experts Jeyes, which commissioned the research said: “Christmas is a stressful time for some. There are a lot of jobs which need doing before you can really sit back and relax.
“Women tend to take the lion’s share when it comes to the preparations but that’s not to say men are simply sitting back and doing nothing.
“Men are still traditionally the ones who cut the turkey, but they are also pulling their weight when it comes to decorating and cleaning the outside of the house.
“Everyone wants their home – inside and out – to look it’s best for any friends or family you have coming around so this can’t be overlooked in the build-up to Christmas.”
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The poll, of 2,000 adults, found women are most likely to take care of the present shopping for the children, friends and relatives, as well as wrapping it all.
Buying and writing the Christmas cards will also most likely be undertaken by women, followed by sending or delivering them to loved ones.
Arranging visits to the various family members, making sure the children have the right nativity costume and cleaning the house ahead of festive visitors are also on the female to-do list.
But while women are most likely to be found picking out and decorating the tree, men are usually the ones putting up any exterior lights and getting the outside areas ready for Christmas.
On Christmas Day itself, women will make the drinks and keep everyone’s glasses topped up, as well as preparing and cooking the veg and turkey and tidying up the wrapping paper and packaging.
Meanwhile, men will take charge of carving the turkey and most likely face the mammoth pile of washing up after dinner.
And while blokes get the arguably fun task of building all the kids’ presents and new toys, it’s women who are most likely to tidy up after them and find a new home for all the gifts.
Finally, when it’s all over, women will take charge of sending out the thank-you cards while men get rid of the Christmas tree.
The study found that six in ten Brits say it’s women who take charge of organising Christmas in their home, with just one in twenty saying it usually falls to the man of the house.
One in three have been left rowing over the allocation of the Christmas jobs though, usually over one of them not doing their fair share (54%) or someone forgetting something (41%).
It also emerged the average Brit will have two occasions where they entertain guests over the Christmas period, cleaning and tidying their home for an average of two hours beforehand each time.
As a result of the pre-visit cleaning spree, half say they dread the thought of unexpected guests.
Jobs most likely to be done by women:
Buying Christmas present for children
Buying Christmas presents for children’s friends
Buying Christmas presents for relatives
Wrapping Christmas presents
Buying Christmas cards
Writing Christmas cards
Sending/delivering Christmas cards
Sending/delivering Christmas presents
Making sure the children have their school nativity costume
Picking out/buying the Christmas tree
Decorating the Christmas tree
Decorating the inside of the house
Doing the big Christmas food and drink shop
Buying the turkey
Cleaning the house to prepare for festive visitors
Making drinks and handing out nibbles to guests
Arranging family visits
Cleaning the house ahead of Christmas day
Peeling the vegetables
Preparing the turkey
Cooking the turkey/ vegetables
Clearing away the wrapping paper etc after presents have been opened
Tidying away all the new toys
Tidying/cleaning the house after Christmas Day
Writing thank-you cards
Jobs most likely to be done by men:
Decorating the outside areas of the house
Cleaning and preparing outside areas for festive visitors
Carving the turkey
Washing up after Christmas dinner
Putting the rubbish outside
Getting the children’s gifts out the boxes and set up to play
Tidying the outside areas of the house after Christmas Day
Getting rid of the Christmas tree
For more information visit www.jeyes.com