Mum in the kitchen, dad in the shed: why roles are slow to change in Switzerland

Men are increasingly involved in household chores in Switzerland, more so than in other countries. But this does not prevent inequalities from growing within a couple after a child is born. A demographer and graphs shed light on the issue. Two hours 45 minutes a day, or 19 hours a week: this is the average amount of time that men – across all household types – devote to domestic and family tasks in Switzerland, according to the Federal Statistical Office. This is nearly three hours more a week than 20 years ago. After Norway and Sweden, Switzerland is now one of the developed countries where men pull their weight the most at home. In the developed countries of the OECD the average is two hours a day. Yet men still do not do nearly as much as women, who devote an average of four hours a day (nearly 29 hours a week) to meals, housework and laundry. This is only slightly less than the 30 or so hours a week in the early 2000s. And if we take households with children, the workload rises ...