This age old question is one that has often led to much controversy and debate. When analyzing what factors should be accounted for, twenty different people would give twenty similar, yet varying responses. Mothers, traditionally known as the caregivers of the household, are perceived as being better cleaners. However, here in 2021, gender roles have become less extreme. Men have started cooking and cleaning more, while women have become more accustomed to yard work and vehicle maintenance.
So, who cleans better? Statistically speaking, neither do. An analysis of the cleaning industry has led to one underlying truth; there exists both good and bad cleaners. Gender rarely plays a role. In fact, there is no statistical evidence at all proving one gender cleans better than the other. That being said, a strong divide that should play a major role in answering this question does still exist.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey revealed one indisputable truth, women are more willing to put in the work. On average, women ages 15 and older spend roughly 5.7 hours daily doing housework and looking after family members, while men in the same age range do so for only 3.6 hours each day. That’s about 37% more time dedicated to keeping things running smoothly in the house. Women also act as the primary decision-makers when it comes to home decor in 62% of households.
This poses a new question; why do women clean more? Do external pressures exist, or is there an internal motivation that men simply do not feel? There are many theories that exist. Women might anticipate being judged more by their peers, especially by other women. Another thought is that women may find cleaning less unpleasant. Others even suggest that women might use cleaning as a means to procrastinate doing other tasks, where men typically do not. Unfortunately, not much evidence has surfaced as to what drives women to clean more than men.
Knowledge often comes from experience. While I’m sure a floor swept by a man and one swept by a woman will be equally clean, more daunting tasks, like removing stains from certain linens and fabrics, are probably going to move the needle in favor of women. They are simply more experienced, and therefore more equipped with the knowledge of how to handle uncommon or trickier situations. If you want Award Winning Cleaning, look at the experience and time dedication, not just the gender of who is doing the cleaning.
Effort counts, and women are typically more willing to put in the time to keep their house clean. If we are looking solely at who cleans “better” than the topic can be debated back and forth. However, due to how much house cleaning women tend to do in comparison to men, the results are pretty one sided.
