In an effort to address the gender imbalance in housework, the Spanish government has announced its plans to launch a groundbreaking application that will enable wives to track the number of household chores performed by their husbands. The app, set to be released in the summer as part of Spain’s ‘co-responsibility plan,’ aims to promote equitable distribution of domestic responsibilities between men and women.
The application, currently under development by Spain’s Ministry for Gender Equality and Domestic Violence, will allow both women and men to log the hours they spend performing household chores. By providing a tangible record of each family member’s contributions, the app seeks to raise awareness about the disparity in the division of housework and encourage a more balanced approach.
Speaking at a conference in Geneva focused on discrimination against women, Spain’s Minister for Gender Equality and Domestic Violence, Angela Rodriguez, highlighted the need for such an app. “We women spend more time on domestic tasks than men,” she emphasized. Rodriguez presented a report on women’s rights in Spain, which revealed that a significant number of women surveyed by the country’s National Statistics Institute claimed to be solely responsible for the majority of household chores. Conversely, less than 15 percent of men surveyed acknowledged assuming the maximum share of household tasks.
The gender gap in housework has even led to legal disputes in Spain. Notably, in April 2017, a court in Cantabria ordered a man to compensate his ex-wife with over €23,000 (approximately $25,000) for the household chores she had performed during their six-year marriage. Similarly, earlier this year, a businessman was required by a court in Velez-Malaga to pay his ex-wife a staggering sum of €204,624.86 (around $220,318) for unpaid domestic labor accumulated over their 25-year marriage, calculated based on the minimum wage.
The forthcoming application has attracted significant attention from companies seeking to spearhead the project. Various firms are vying for the opportunity to develop the app, hoping to contribute to a more equitable distribution of household responsibilities. The Spanish government’s decision to launch this innovative tool reflects a broader commitment to gender equality and aims to foster a cultural shift towards shared domestic duties.
As Spain prepares to introduce this pioneering app, the international community will closely observe its impact on promoting co-responsibility and reducing the burden disproportionately borne by women in household chores. With the potential to revolutionize domestic dynamics, the application represents a promising step forward in addressing gender disparities and promoting more equitable relationships within the home.
