News From Down Under:
06/23/2005

Australian Men Need to Do More Housework

SYDNEY - The Australian government's Sex Discrimination Commissioner launched a scathing assault on the domestic tendencies of its married men.

In a detailed report on the shrinking workforce and the incresing age of its workers, the government recommended that Australian men do more housework and participate in household duties more often. It even stated that men could avoid nagging by their wives.

In a 150-page discussion paper, Commissioner Pru Goward chided men to "get with the program" and "get more involved in the unpaid work burden" including caring for children and elderly parents.

"The federal government's made it clear that Australians have to work more," the commissioner warned.

"But we are not going to get more work out of Australia, we are not going to cope with the demands of a shrinking workforce and an ageing workforce if women don't work more.

"The other half of the equation is that we have to get men to do more in the home so that women are released from some of those obligations.

"If they want their marriages to stay intact, if they don't want the nagging ... then do a bit more, ask your partner what she wants you to do and divide it up," she said.

"Men must start asking for family friendly positions to be made available to them and if they don't start objecting when they get relegated ... for daring to say 'my mother's got Alzheimer's and I must take her to regular doctors appointments', then we won't get any change."

The paper, which was titled "Striking the Balance: Women, Men Work and Family", said that as much as 70% of all housework and childrearing duties were still being carried out by women, despite the fact that women made up more than 40% of the total workforce.

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