Dads Who Do Chores Raise Daughters Who Earn More

Once upon a time, researchers at the University of British Columbia conducted a study that suggested a father figure’s willingness to do chores around the house impacts his daughters’ perception of gender roles in the work environment. In other words, your little girl is watching how you and your spouse split the household chores. What she observes builds the foundation of how she perceives gender and work. So dads who do chores had daughters who earn more.

The study of 326 children between the ages of 7 and 13 found that when fathers took on an equal share of the household labour, their daughters were more likely to head towards ‘less traditional, higher-paying careers’, such as those in the fields of medicine or science.

If the mothers took on more household work than the fathers — even if both parents worked full-time jobs — young girls were more likely to aspire towards careers more traditionally gendered for women: nursing, teaching, or as a stay-at-home mom.

Young boys’ aspirations were not affected in the study. Researchers guessed it may be that boys’ gender roles are still less flexible.

Labour equality at home sets the pace for future career aspirations of young girls. And some view household chore inequity as abuse. A mother’s time and efforts are no less valuable than a father’s, and yet there is still the perception that any distribution of chores that favours the father is accidental. This study provides proof that a girl sees the potential for a more challenging career if she is not the default parent or housekeeper with more than her fair share of parenting and/or household tasks.