Many women re-do men’s chores, survey finds

If you find yourself re-folding the laundry your husband tossed into the drawers, or scrubbing down the sink he just attempted to clean, you're not alone. According to a recent -- admittedly unscientific -- survey of 2,000 women in the U.K., women spend on average three hours a week re-doing their husband's chores. The survey was conducted by grocery chain Sainsbury's.

''Although it's impossible for women to do everything themselves, they still have high hopes for perfection," says a spokesperson for Sainsbury's. "And if jobs aren't done to the desired standard by their partner, many feel they could do better themselves."

In Canada, younger generations of women are doing less housework than their older counterparts, according to a StatsCan study from last summer. But they are still doing more than men.

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Nadeen Rajani, a Toronto working mom, is one of those women who does more chores around the house than her husband. And she'll often redo the household work he takes on.

"I try to let it go," she says. "And sometimes I let it go, but sometimes I can't."

She admits to re-making the bed and and re-folding their young daughter's clothes, sometimes without telling her husband.

Half of the women polled in the Sainsbury survey say, like Rajani, they often don't bother nagging their partners to do a better job, they just go ahead and redo the work.

Many complained that their husbands hide messes inside drawers, without sorting things out. Or they would endeavor to cook a meal, but leave food splatters all over. The laundry wouldn't be separated into lights and darks, and the folding would be clumsy.

Topping the list of the chores women end up re-doing are washing counters, fluffing cushions, making the bed, oven cleaning and tidying up.

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So, is it a case of women's standards being too high?

"I appreciate that he at least does it, and I understand that not everyone has my exacting standards," admits Rajani. "So I take what I can get."

In another recent survey involving over 3,000 American women, and published by Real Simple magazine and Families and Work Institute, 45 per cent of surveyed women refuse to give up control over certain household tasks, even though they admit their husbands have equally high standards.

"I love delegating," says Dida F., an accountant. "The question is will they actually do it? At the end of the day, I end up doing the work."

But despite the high standards, most women say they're appreciative when their husbands do a good portion of the housework. And, considering the link between chores and an active sex life, they sometimes show their appreciation in that well-made (or even not-so-well-made) bed.

Check out this video for tips on organizing and cleaning up your laundry room.