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Conference quark::mennotes

Title:	Discussions of topics pertaining to men
Notice:	Please read all replies to note 1
Moderator:	QUARK::LIONELE

Created:	Thu Jan 21 1993
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	268
Total number of notes:	12755

31.0. "A good chuckle article" by RTOEU::KRICKS () Wed Feb 10 1993 08:06

    I read the following article in a magazine.  My husband and I got a
    good laugh out of it and thought I'd pass it along to you all.
    It is intended to be read with humor.   
    (Copied without permission) 
    **********************************************************************
    **********************************************************************
    
    Men's Jobs - Women's Jobs
    By George Simpson
    
        I heard a woman complain the other day that her new boyfriend never
    helps her with the laundry and that he'd rather buy new dishes than
    wash dirty ones.  I said, "Sounds like you ought to trade the boyfriend
    in for a good maid...." I was really thinking, Hey, wait a second! It
    seems to me there's a natural order to life - some things are simply
    'your' job ... and some are simply mine.  When was the last time you
    took a whitewall-tire brush to the grill? Or changed the oil in the
    car?  Whose job is it to catch the bat that inadvertantly flies in the
    window?  Who 'always' puts up the bookshelves?  Changes the flat bike
    tire tubes?  Unclogs the gutter?
        Its not that I 'can't' fold laundry. But you hate it when I don't
    turn the socks right side out or when I fold the towels into quarters
    instead of thirds.  You have a vision of correctly folded laundry, I do
    not.  It's Nature's way of assigning you that important task.  Do you
    know how to replace the washers in the dripping faucet? I do.  That's
    why it's my job.  Seems like part of life's Great Plan.  
        Don't you agree that there's a pretty good balance between my jobs
    and yours?  And although there's no law that says we can't help each
    other, let's not make it a skirmish in the battle of the sexes when we
    don't.  
        You might counter by saying, "Well, half the laundry is yours."  My
    response: "You ride in the car. But I don't ask you to remember the
    date of the last tune-up or if it is time to rotate the tires." 
    Because I know that's 'my' job.  Just like I know it's my job to mow
    the lawn and shovel the sidewalk.
        And it's a good thing men are so complusive about their jobs. 
    Nobody else would notice that there are only 'two' cans of beer left or
    that we're just about out of garlic-jalapeno-pepper-flavored chips or
    that the grill needs more propane.  Your job, on the other hand, is to
    keep an eye on the toilet-paper supply and make sure the eggs are
    thrown out before they hatch.
        It's a wonderful balance, don't you think? Isn't it a load off your
    mind 'not' to have to worry about when the gym memberships expire or
    what time the Redskins game starts on Sunday?  Isn't it reassuring to
    know that you 'never' have to worry about cleaning the fish or moving
    the mulch pile? I know I sleep better not having to think about when
    the sheets were changed last, how many pints there are in a quart, the
    date the new Mel Gibson picture opens, or how I scored on the Cosmo
    quiz.  
        I don't think that all jobs should be classified as necessarily
    "women's work" or "a man's job".  As a matter of fact, I can outcook
    and outclean most women I know (and most of them can walk all over me
    on the tennis court), but we should try to acknowledge the symmetry of
    having jobs that are ours alone, jobs that if done well-and
    cheerfully-benefit both of us.  And that should be plenty of reward.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
31.1	comments... unsolicited	ASDG::FOSTER	radical moderate	`Wed Feb 10 1993 09:07`	17
	I heartily agree that if a man can list a set of tasks that his SO agrees are "his" and his alone, then she shouldn't get in a snit about her set... especially if she's better at them. But, there are a lot of men who cannot do basic plumbing, car maintenance or carpentry. And a lot of us women who are living alone have, long ago, learned to do these things. Especially in houses we own. Its the man who doesn't do ANYTHING who wins my ire, not the one who willingly does the stereotypical "male" chores. Like taking out the trash, maintaining the cars, etc. Another problem, though, is that some of the routinely "male" chores go away if you live in an apartment. Again, when that happens, I think the "female" chores should be divied up.
31.2	we know...	2CRAZY::FLATHERS	Rooting for the underdog.	`Wed Feb 10 1993 09:17`	12
	It's also not an even split as far as frequency of the chores. Laundry is 2 time a week. Cleaning the kitchen is up to 7 times a week. Changing the oil is once a quarter. Cleaning the gutters is twice a year. Putting up shelves etc....etc.... is just on occasion. We all know if we're being fair. Jack
31.3		SMURF::BINDER	Qui scire uelit ipse debet discere	`Wed Feb 10 1993 09:24`	21
	Cleaning the kitchen is not a woman's job. Nor is it a man's job. It is the cook's job. Or, actually, the way it usually works out for us is that it's the non-cook's job. My wife cooks, I clean up. I cook, she cleans up. I'm the only one who waxes the floor, though, because she hates that worse than she hates running the vacuum cleaner. And, as it happens, and for whatever perverse reason, I prefer waxing the kitchen floor. She does the laundry most of the time. I clean the cat box. She dusts. I run the snowthrower. She sews most of the time; I sew sometimes, though. I take out the trash, but she gathers it ready to go out. I do the car stuff. She gardens. We have an arrangement that basically breaks down into "her" jobs and "my" jobs. That some of hers happen to be traditionally "woman's work" and some of mine are traditionally "Man's work" isn't part of the equation. Each of us does what that one can do better. -dick
31.4		AIMHI::RAUH	I survived the Cruel Spa	`Wed Feb 10 1993 12:30`	2
	Gee. I press little girl dress's, to all those so called guy things and cook, and clean.
31.5	ABOUT REAL MEN	KAOOA::DAVY		`Fri Feb 12 1993 13:31`	11
	Yes, its all great and wonderful to all these "chores" for fulfil our roles. However, there is only one task that separates the men from the boys. Real men clean toilets! Sit on that one for a while! BD@KAO
31.6		NOVA::FISHER	DEC Rdb/Dinosaur	`Fri Feb 12 1993 13:40`	1
	only if it's clean...
31.7	there's a big difference	JUPITR::MAHONEY	Just another tricky day	`Fri Feb 19 1993 08:48`	8
	The differnce between the guys list and the womans list in the basenote is that most of the things mentioned for him to do, are not done on a daily basis. How often do you catch a bat in the house, or change the washers in the faucet, or the oil in the car? Not too often. Housework, washing dishes and laundry is usually a daily routine.... Sandy (who splits the houswork 50/50 with hubby, with no complaints):-)
31.8		AIMHI::RAUH	I survived the Cruel Spa	`Fri Feb 19 1993 08:58`	3
	There is lawn mowing and snow blowing and leaf raking and house painting. This is a seasonal program. Glad your hubby splits. Hope that your helping him with those other task.:)
31.9		CSC32::M_EVANS	hate is STILL not a family value	`Fri Feb 19 1993 09:31`	30
	In my case, I worked as a house painter, so when it needs painting it is only fair that I deal with that portion, we share mowing the lawn and I do the majority of yardwork because I like it, and the dog belongs to me. I do 80% of the gardening, including turning the compost heap, because I see value in it. Frank feels the thing should become compost magically (I guess if you didn't grow up in a desert you might get some odd ideas about how things rot) Frank is house-proud, and I don't notice dust bunnies etc. until they are knee deep, so he does that. We each maintain our own vehicles, since mine are Japanese imports, and he only works on Domestic or British vehicles. (This was worked out long before we started living together. We both cook. He brews better beer than I do, so that is his business. He takes care of our kids and has picked up another to watch part-time. He has much more patience than I do with children, so unweaned house-apes spend more time with him, than me. Kids can shovel walks. We both remodel. I work 40+ hours a week for cash, and he works that much and more around the house. Do I appreciate it? You Bet! When he takes of on a male-bonding trip, I have major problems just trying to maintain things to the point where he doesn't flip when he comes back. It is much easier when we are both vacationing together. Meg
31.10		ASDG::FOSTER	radical moderate	`Fri Feb 19 1993 17:23`	6
	re .8 None of those things are issues if you live in an apartment or condominium. Similarly, some people eat out daily, and have household help.
31.11		AIMHI::RAUH	I survived the Cruel Spa	`Mon Feb 22 1993 09:23`	9
	.10 Very true based upon that. But, there was at one time no definition of womans work and mens work. At one time all work was equally important as it is today. And women worked along side of the men in the fields. Then someplace someone got this silly idea of womens and mens work and life has not been the same since. On King! On you huskies!