When it comes to DIY in the home men and women can’t seem to agree who actually gets the work done!
A survey, commissioned by trade vetting firm Checkatrade.com, quizzed 1,000 homeowners across the UK about their DIY habits – and produced some surprise results.
Almost a quarter of women felt they did the majority of DIY in the home – while only 5 per cent of men agreed!
By contrast 71 per cent of men reckoned they did all the hard work – while women put the figure at just 41 per cent.
TV interior designer and Checkatrade.com ambassador Linda Barker said: “No woman will be too surprised by these results – they are pretty telling, aren’t they?
“The guys probably think they do all the hard graft but I reckon it is often us girls who really get it done.
“In my experience more and more women are taking an interest in DIY and not just as a pastime but as a possible career too. You can see that from the rising number of women registered as traders with Checkatrade.”
There is one worrying sign for women, however. The same survey in 2011 showed 22 per cent of homeowners believed the majority of DIY was done by women – a figure which dropped to just 15 per cent in 2015 when the results of both sexes were combined.
Barker said: “The difference in results between what men think and what women say could help explain this figure.
“But it does show we shouldn’t rest in trying to encourage more women to take in an interest. What we need to think about is how to challenge attitudes that DIY is a male-only pastime or career opportunity. It certainly shouldn’t be.”
Key results from the Checkatrade.com survey:
Almost a quarter of women feel the majority of DIY in the home is done by them
Only 5 per cent of men think women do the majority of DIY in their household
Overall, across both sexes, 55 per cent say men do the majority of DIY
20 per cent say it’s an equal split
15 per cent say the majority of DIY is done by women – down from 22 per cent in 2011