Who does the housework?
Introduction
Unloading the dishwasher, mopping the floor, cleaning the loo... what is your most hated household chore? We all know there are jobs around the house which have to be done regularly, even if they are sometimes boring or unpleasant. But who tends to do the most amount of jobs in your household? And is there anyone who isn't pulling their weight...? Pippa and Neil discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.
This week's question
According to a survey conducted by Good Housekeeping magazine earlier in 2026, what is the most hated household chore in Britain?
a) deep cleaning the oven
b) scrubbing the toilet
c) cleaning the windows
Listen to the programme to hear the answer.
Vocabulary
chores
tasks around the home, such as cleaning, washing and ironing, that have to be done regularly
fair share
reasonable amount
women's work
negative term for the boring and repetitive tasks which are traditionally or stereotypically done by women
division of labour
way of organising work where different tasks are done by different groups of people
take a breather
(idiom) stop what you are doing for a short time to rest
pull your weight
work as hard as everyone else doing the same job
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.
Neil
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
Pippa
And I'm Pippa. When it comes to household chores, jobs like cleaning, washing clothes or looking after the kids, it's often women who do most of the work. Here, two female listeners of BBC World Service programme People Fixing the World share their experiences. Do they sound familiar to you?
Listener 1
I do everything. I do all the house chores, I do the food shopping, I do all the cooking, I clean the bathroom.
Listener 2
Are the chores done equally between me and my husband? No, they're not done equally. I do most of the chores.
Pippa
So, you're a family man, Neil. Do you do your fair share of household chores?
Neil
I think so. My wife works part time and I work full time, so when I'm not working, I do things, and when she's not working, she does things.
Pippa
Yeah, it's similar in my house, so me and my husband try to split things, but it's difficult, isn't it?
Neil
It is.
Pippa
Of course, no one enjoys cleaning the toilet or taking out the bins, but there is a serious side to the issue. Figures from UN Women, an organisation promoting gender equality, suggest that every day women around the world spend three hours more than men on unpaid care and domestic work. So, in this episode, we'll be hearing about two projects helping husbands and wives share the housework more fairly.
Neil
And as usual, you'll find a quiz and a worksheet to go with this episode on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
men doing more to help around the house results in happier homes, even if that means cleaning the toilet now and then. And speaking of cleaning the toilet, what was the answer to your quiz question, Neil?
Neil
I asked you what chore is the most hated in Britain.
Pippa
I thought it was cleaning the oven.
Neil
Well, I'm afraid that's not the right answer. People hate cleaning the windows even more than scrubbing the oven. Apparently, 23% of the people who did the survey said cleaning the windows. OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with chores – household tasks like cleaning, washing and ironing that have to be done regularly.
Pippa
If you do your fair share of work, you do a reasonable amount.
Neil
Women's work is a negative term for the boring and repetitive tasks which are stereotypically done by women.
Pippa
The division of labour is a way of organising work where different tasks are done by different groups of people.
Neil
The idiom take a breather means to stop what you're doing for a short time and rest.
Pippa
And finally, if you pull your weight, you work as hard as everyone else doing the same job. Once again, our six minutes are up, but remember, you can find a free transcript including all the vocabulary on our website, at bbclearningenglish.com. Goodbye for now.
Neil
Goodbye!