- Preparing meals during confinement is mainly a female activity in 77% of couples, according to an Ifop survey.
- If 21% of the men questioned declare to participate more in the kitchen in recent weeks, the overall situation has changed little.
- Signs of change are appearing, however, especially among the youngest.
Mum in the kitchen, dad at work ... If society evolves, some patterns are still tough. And confinement does not change the situation, according to an Ifop * survey for the Darwin nutrition magazine released on Wednesday.
No more restaurants, company canteens, sandwiches on the go ... Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, the number of meals to prepare at home has increased. And if 21% of men living in a couple say they participate more in the preparation of meals than before confinement, this task remains primarily the responsibility of women.
More visible in wealthy suburbs
According to Ifop, one of the main lessons is therefore the fact that despite the equivalent time spent by men and women in the home, the time spent preparing meals is not equal. During confinement, 71% of women feel that this task falls to them most often, compared to 21% who see an egalitarian distribution, and only 8% who consider that their spouse does more than they do.
If it is in the affluent suburbs that this share is the largest (78%, or ten points more than the average of the rest of France), the difference in income of the spouses also plays a preponderant role. Thus, 77% of women who earn less than their spouse are in charge of the kitchen, against 62% for those who earn more. "Our hypothesis is that the man considers that his time is more legitimate than that of his wife, since he brings in more money," explains François Kraus, Director of Politics and News at Ifop.
Men have no more excuses
Age is also an important factor. The older the couples, the more the meal is prepared by Madame (85% among those 65 and over, compared to 56% among those under 24). For François Kraus, this is the observation of the evolution of society: “It seems that among young people, who have been more qualified and have been in a relationship for a short time, this model is disputed, where the older people have integrated it. "
"The question of meals is part of the hard core of the sexual division of labor in homes, and confinement creates the conditions for questioning the traditional distribution", continues the head of Ifop. According to him, the situation has removed from men the excuse of non-availability: “Traditionally, the man takes care of the car, taking the children to activities or going to the DIY store. Men's cooking activities are most often specialized and technical: the barbecue or the big meal of the weekend, which are more “legitimate” socially. However, prevented from all these outings, the man has no more excuses to escape the duties associated with the house, including cooking every day. "
Preparing meals, a source of tension
Confinement requires, meal management creates tension within couples, according to the Ifop study. Tensions that appear especially in young people (between 52 and 53% of couples between 18 and 34 years old, compared to 31% in those over 65 years old).
“The plans are not yet framed, the distribution of tasks is done according to skills, availability. We do a lot of things together. There are more sources of friction. We don't fit into the models of the 1950-1960 generations, ”analyzes François Kraus.
There is (ura) an evolution
And if the model where the woman is in charge of meals is still far from being turned upside down, the results of the survey may give hope for an evolution linked to confinement. For example, in the affluent suburbs, which have the highest distribution inequalities for meals, 29% of men declare that they participate more than before confinement. It is more than all the other types of municipalities.
This trend is found in couples whose relationship duration is less than 3 years (31%). And François Kraus foresees: “We could have a generational, structural effect. In general, there are always traces of these moments of crisis. "
* Survey carried out from 24 to 27 April 2020 with a sample of 3,045 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over, via a self-administered online questionnaire.
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- Society
- Deconfinement
- Coronavirus
- gender equality
- Confinement
- Meal
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