Keeping your house and home in order is hard work, especially if you’re a full-time worker. It comes as no surprise therefore that some relatively simple household chores can cause a lot of tension in relationships.
With this in mind, ShowersToYou.co.uk were interested in finding out which chores sparked the highest amount of tension within a relationship.
To achieve this, the UK’s most trusted online bathroom supplier surveyed 2,459 couples to find the answer – 1,397 of whom are ex-couples.
All chores considered in the UK-based study were a result of trawling through online forums for lists of the most commonly fought over chores within households.
The findings of the study revealed that doing the dishes is the chore most likely to cause arguments, with 57 per cent of couples reportedly getting into a spat over it.
Taking out the rubbish and cleaning the kitchen came second and third, at 46 per cent and 42 per cent respectively.
Dusting is the chore most likely to cause the least amount of arguments, with only 9 per cent, suggesting a lot of couples are fine with sweeping this one under the rug – figuratively speaking.
Of the respondents who are no longer in relationships, 15 per cent revealed that quarrelling over household chores was a direct contributor to the breakdown of their relationship.
Additionally, 40 per cent of respondents disclosed that a lack of appraisal or acknowledgement for doing chores was a large factor in the sparking of arguments.
What’s more, 90 per cent of couples will spend up to one hour arguing with their significant other over chores, with 45 per cent of these arguments incited by a feeling of the chore not having been completed properly.
30 per cent of couples argued about the timings of the chore, showing that keeping to a schedule was a high priority.
Only 15 per cent argued over who was doing what chore, and the remaining 10 per cent argued over entirely different things, with one respondent claiming that they “didn’t like doing it” – which doesn’t come as a surprise.
Here’s an infographic to sum up the study.
