Research says that husbands do not do their fair share of work around the house. A study from the Ohio State University says it is rare for men to do an equal share of housework. Researchers looked at 182 working couples who became first-time parents. Both partners worked the same number of hours in full-time jobs. Men did less housework after the baby was born, even though both parents worked the same number of hours in their job. Fathers did an average of five hours a week less housework. They spent this time helping to look after the baby.

Becoming a parent added about 21 hours per week to the work mothers did. Most of their extra work was spent looking after her baby. The researchers explained why new fathers did not keep up with the extra work. They said most men were unaware that the mother was doing so much more. Another reason is that after a baby is born, fathers follow what happened in their own homes when they were younger. They follow the 'traditional' roles of the mother looking after the baby and the father working, even though the mother is working the same number of hours in her job.