Mental burdens don’t give women a summer break, at least not for women. This is shown by a study conducted on 2,000 people in France. 70% of women surveyed said they were tired after leave compared to 57% of men.
Barbie in “pls” on the sand of the beach… This is undoubtedly an image that does not appear in a successful film that has been shaking the feminist planet for several weeks. And yet, behind the figure of the “exemplary” woman-mother hides an observation not without consequences… Holidays are not easy, and even less so for women than for men…
This is what this Ifop study highlights – for the page Good travel deals New York -, the uneven distribution of housework throughout the year does not magically disappear during the summer holidays. The result: many women start September in a worse physical and mental state than their partner.
More fatigue, more stress: inequality, even on vacation
Women who finish their leave are much more “tired” (70%) than men (57%). At the end of this period, although it is associated with relaxation, women in relationships also say they are more “stressed” (53%) than men (39%).
And their spouses are perfectly aware of this situation! Among couples who went with children, twice as many men (56%) than women (28%) admitted that they rested more than their partners during their vacation.
It is true that overall women (66%) have more difficulties than men (52%) in resting during the annual vacation, especially in working environments, but also in couples where the woman takes over most of the household chores.
Housework: “gender inequality on vacation”
This female fatigue is linked to the fact that women who went away as a couple this summer took on far more housework than their partners: 53% of women said they took on more housework than their partners while on vacation, compared to 39%. % who did “about the same” and 8% “less” than him.
This gender disparity on vacation prevents many women from recharging their batteries as they should. François Kraus, Ifop director of the “Gender and Sexuality” department.
For Francis Krausdirector of the “Gender and Sexuality” department at ifop, “This survey clearly shows that women never take as much vacation as men because during this period they are still subject to the uneven distribution of household chores that they face during the rest of the year. However, this holiday gender inequality prevents many women from “recharging their batteries” as they should, and even more so when they cannot leave the running of summer family life to a third party.
Overloading of women with household chores is found in all tasks related to daycare management. For example, laundry was clearly the responsibility of women (69% compared to 11% of men), as was preparing the main meal (48% compared to 28% of men). The only exception is cooking food on the grill, which remains the prerogative of men (51%, compared to 25% of women).
However, it is precisely among couples who went on leave with children that the uneven distribution of parental tasks between the sexes is most pronounced. Indeed, in this type of couple, women are overwhelmingly responsible for packing their bags (71%, compared to 12% of fathers), doing daily laundry (72%, compared to 13%) or preparing their own meals in case of outdoor activities ( 53%, compared to 17%).
Understanding annual vacations through the prism of gender shows us that summer vacation does not question unequal marriage and family models, or even worsens them. François Kraus
“This backward transfer of the organization of vacations to women is based on an undoubtedly conservative vision of their free time and a very strong social prohibition: putting the well-being of one’s family before one’s own needs…, adds François Kraus, In this sense, understanding vacations through the prism of gender allows us to show that the summer break does not challenge unequal marriage and family models, or even worsen them.
The stress of going back to school
The difference in stress between the sexes must also be put into perspective with “back-to-school worries”: the prospect of returning to everyday life and its problems is a much more difficult source of worry for the general population. women (60%) than men (47%).
As research shows, most of the work related to returning to everyday life is done by women. This is the case with returning suitcases (performed by 65% of women), cleaning laundry at home (performed by 74% of women), but also buying school supplies (performed by 64% of women). % of women).
But back-to-school stress isn’t just related to a “burnout at home” situation. This is also related to the fact that many tourists end the summer in a situation of financial stress: 28% have less than €100 in their bank account, 9% even have an overdraft.
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