Philosophers have a theory about men and household chores

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Writing in the journal Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, academics from Cambridge University suggested that people’s perception of affordance in a domestic environment is gendered, with women more likely to see an action being invited, or afforded, than men. According to academics from Cambridge University, the “gendered affordance perception hypothesis” is not about absolving men of their slack in the home, and sensitivity to domestic affordances in women should not be equated with a natural affinity for housework. Dr Tom McClelland, from the university’s Department of History and Philosophy of Science, said: “Men should be encouraged to resist gendered norms by improving their sensitivity to domestic task affordances. Not only would this help them to do the tasks they don’t see, it would gradually retrain their perception so they start to see the affordance in the future.” In essence, men simply have no excuses not to take on their equal share of invisible labour.