Women unpaid for most of their work

Sneha Dewani and her husband, Sree Swami, work as a team. Photo / Sarah Ivey

According to the old saying, a woman's work is never done.

But a new survey shows men and women are working just as many hours as each other - the only difference is the majority of women's work is unpaid.

A new Statistics NZ survey has found men and women spent six hours and 44 minutes each day - a figure averaged out across all New Zealanders - in paid and unpaid work activities during the 2009/10 year.

"However, while 63 per cent of men's work was paid, 65 per cent of women's work was unpaid," said social and population statistician Paul Brown.

Mr Brown said women spent four hours and 20 minutes a day doing unpaid work - things such as housework, childcare and shopping - while men spent two hours and 32 minutes a day on the same things.

Home and grounds maintenance were the only unpaid work activities on which men spent more time than women.

Mr Brown said the study highlighted some interesting changes that were gradually happening.

One example was that while women were still doing an hour more of housework than men, they were spending about 13 minutes less on it than they were in 1998/99.

Mr Brown said it wasn't clear if that was because less household work was being done or if the cleaning was now being picked up by other people - such as hired help.

Men and women were spending more time on primary childcare activities, but women were still doing about twice as much as men.

Other findings in the Time Use survey found an increase in the time spent watching television. Men watched the longest but woman had increased the amount of time spent in front of the television by 10 minutes a day compared with 1998/99.

Men spent nearly twice as much time playing computer or video games than on active sport.

Unemployed people were also now spending more time on education and training, and fewer women were participating in paid work on weeknights.

New Zealanders spent nearly half their time on personal care activities such as sleeping, eating, hygiene, and dressing.

DAD ON DECK GETS IT IN NECK

Sree Swami's friends often give him grief about the time he spends on housework and caring for his children.

"When we go to a party most of the time people criticise us, saying, 'Look at this guy, he's running behind the baby or changing the nappy.'

"They always say, 'Where's your wife, what are you doing?' I used to fight with them and say, 'Why should my wife do it, what's wrong with me?'."

According to a new Statistics NZ survey, the Auckland man is going against the trend when it comes to spending time on childcare and chores.

But Mr Swami says he's only doing what his dad taught him - sharing housework and family obligations.

He and his wife, Sneha Dewani, work Monday to Friday, 40 hours a week, so the couple believe it's only fair they split the chores at home.

She usually cooks dinner while he gets Diya, 5, and Shriya, 3, ready for bed. In the morning he gets the girls dressed for the day while his wife makes lunch and breakfast.

On Saturdays they spilt the cleaning - he usually tackles vacuuming while she does the rest. Mr Swami tends to do more of the house maintenance-type chores, such as changing lightbulbs.

His wife cooks saying she prefers her meals to his. But if she's sick, her husband steps in to help.

She appreciates his help, something she knows not all women have.