Men do almost twice the amount of housework after they retire - but they are still doing far less than their wives , according to new research . The study of 1,302 German couples found working men did just two hours of house work each day , which almost doubled to 3.9 hours when they retired . But they are still lagging behind their stay-at-home female partners when it comes to sharing the burden . Division of labour : Men do just two hours of housework a day while working , which increases to 3.9 after they retire - but it is still far less than the amount carried out by their stay-at-home wives . The study , published in the Journal of Marriage and Family , found women who did not work did an average of 6.8 hours before their husband 's retired . Chores included doing the laundry and the washing up , as well as running errands , according to New York Magazine . However , the number of hours they did each day only dropped to 6.1 after their husbands retired . What 's more , it seems the men were still avoiding the washing up , even post-retirement . The research noted the increase in the men 's hours was mainly taken up by more 'manly ' chores - like repairs and gardening . However , the study - conducted by Thomas Leopold at the University of Amsterdam and Jan Skopek at the European University Institute - does not reveal how the burden was shared when both the husband and wife were working . Manly : The men were also less likely to do the 'female ' chores , sticking to gardening and repairs .
Study of 1,302 couples found working men do hourstwo hours of chores a day . But once they retired , men upped their housework two hours to to 3.9 a day . Women 's chores went from 6.8 two hours a day to 6.1 a day after retirement . The study , carried out in Germany , .