Since the pandemic, cleaning ladies and home deliveries have been popular, even if it is also true that younger generations are more willing to share tasks. The tenth report from the European Institute for Gender Equality shows progress, widespread in Europe, towards a more balanced sharing.
Equality between women and men is progressing in Europe and in France, particularly in household chores. This is what emerges from the tenth and latest report from the European Institute for Gender Equality, released Tuesday October 24. But the gap is narrowing not because men are doing more, but because women are doing less. Seven years ago, 80% of French women cleaned or cooked every day. Today, there are “only” 68%.
Mélanie, a Parisian who has been in a relationship for two years, sees the evolution clearly. “I was previously with someone who saw the woman as the person responsible for the household. So he did not participate in household chores or at least”, she says. This is no longer the case with Fabien, his new companion. “I don’t mind helping to prepare the meal, actually,” he confides. He also helps with the housework “because we have a dog, so there’s a lot of hair and it annoys me.” “But I don’t like mopping the floor at all. It’s unbearable!” he exclaims. Yet he does it “without me asking”adds Mélanie, “because it starts from the principle that it is not up to a woman to do it.”
Slightly more men lend a hand in daily domestic activities. In seven years, the rate increased from 36 to 43%.
But if equality is progressing on paper, it is mainly because women do less. “More and more women are working and you have more services to take care of children,” highlights researcher Jolanta Reingarde. She was the one who led the study for the tenth and final report, published on October 24, of the European Institute for Gender Equality. “We see that in France, there is a political will to have affordable and available services, she notes. And then, another observation, “we have used cleaners or home deliveries more since the pandemic”.
Level of education, income, place of residence and age still influential
The equality index for domestic activities also jumped from 70/100 in 2020 to 82/100 a year later. But the relationship moderates: it depends on the level of education, the wealth of the household, the place of residence and finally the generation. Young people are more sensitive to these questions, like Léa and Timothée, both students. “If I had to go home to wash and cook, I wouldn’t necessarily be with him”smiles Léa. “From the moment we live together, we have to divide up the tasks”, says Timothée, as if it were obvious. At home, women increasingly take care of children or grandchildren on a daily basis, but here too, the gap with men has narrowed considerably in the space of seven years.
Working time, salary, parity in politics: the European index also compiles numerous data each year to measure gender equality. And for the first time, it exceeds the mark of 70 out of 100. France is sixth with a score of 76.