A Clean Sweep

‘TOUGH on grime, tough on the causes of grime.

‘I’d much rather be smacking the kids’

Not Tony Blair’s credo on which he hopes to win a third term in office, but the Telegraph’s take on a poll that suggests we spend more time doing housework than our European neighbours.

According to a Mintel study, only three per cent of Brits don’t do any cleaning at all, compared with six per cent of French, 16 per cent of Spanish and a massive 20% of Germans.

Additionally, the British are more house-proud than any other nation, with one on five saying they spend a lot of time cleaning.

But Michael Howard is not alone in leaving the household chores to his wife.

Only 52% of men spend a fair amount of time cleaning compared with 81% of women – although this ratio is still better than in Germany, say, where a third of men don’t help out at all.

Nevertheless, it is clearly nothing short of a disgrace that this disparity should exist at all – and we hope it is only a matter of time before the Government legislates to put matters right.

And what better time than now? Carpe diem, as a man called Horace used to say.

If parents devote all the free time they have now that they’re no longer allowed to spend hours smacking their kids to household chores, we’ll really put the Germans to shame.’

Posted: 7th, July 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink