Housework takes priority over family time, a new study shows

Research from Direct Line has revealed, seven out of ten mums reckon they ‘never get a day off’ and spend over 31 hours doing chores every week.

The study found mums endure hectic weekdays combining everything the children need with the task of running a house and keeping everything shipshape. Weekends are no different, with mums racking up over eight hours of chores to keep the household ticking over.

The study also found many mums admit dads are either too busy, or too tired to take-over on a weekend and give them a break; meaning they never get a day to themselves.

It also emerged that mum is truly the head of the household with mums six times more likely than dad to be the one organising the family for days out and holidays.

The study of 2,000 mums, which was commissioned by Direct Line to launch their new rewards programme, Let’s Go, found the average British family manages just six days out all together as a family each year.

Kerry Chilvers, brands director at Direct Line, said: “Mums are the engine of the family and are heavily relied upon to keep home life as it should be. However, as this research shows, so many feel they never really get a proper day off. It’s important to be able to switch off and escape those hectic daily routines.”

“Running a family is a non-stop job and both parents work very hard, but it’s important to make time to stop and just enjoy time with our families too.  That’s why we have launched Let’s Go, offering a range of free and 2 for 1 deals for our customers at over 6,000 venues across the UK.  We want to give something back to our customers by enabling them to save money and have a great day out at the same time.”

The study found that of the 31 hours the average mum spends doing chores every week, eight hours is washing and cooking, four hours is dedicated to cleaning and two hours of ironing.  While dad tries to be on hand to help, two thirds of mums said their partner is often too exhausted after working all day.

A busy nine in ten mums felt they don’t get enough time to spend proper quality time with their children. From the stress of getting the kids to school, right to the point of getting them to bed in the evening, four in five said they spend more time cleaning up after their children than actually being able to play with them.

Even on special days like their birthday or Mother’s Day, 70 per cent of Britain’s mums said they still end up doing work in order to keep the household running smoothly.

The cost of paying for days out, the stress of managing everyone and the kids getting bored quickly leaves  seven in ten mums often dreading the prospect of trying to keep the kids entertained in the school holidays. In fact, half of mums have even cancelled or avoided a day out in the past because the costs mounted.

When asked to rate the perfect ingredients for a family day out, mums prioritised the following:

1.  Good Weather
2.  Value for Money
3.  Kids in a good mood
4.  Somewhere to Eat
5.  Varied entertainment
6.  Easy to organize
7.  Someone else driving
8.  Easy to organize
9.  Anything that tires out the kids
10.  iPad/ Portable TV to entertain kids on the journey
     

UK mums voted huge expenses and unruly kids as the factors most likely to ruin a day out.

Kerry Chilvers added: “Our day to day routines seem to get busier and busier and it’s easy to get swamped and with that it’s easy to let the balance between work and play slip.

‘’When it comes to family, a day out together can help break from the normal routine and ensure mum gets that well- earned rest.”

To find out more about Direct Line’s Let’s Go rewards programme visit: http://www.letsgo.directline.com

For more information or enquiries please contact Bernie Glendennan at Bernie.glendennan@shinecom.com.
 

ENDS
 

Notes To Editors

• Direct Line surveyed 2,000 UK mums of 5-16 year olds through OnePoll

• Let’s Go is open only to current Direct Line policy holders who are residents of the UK and aged over 18 years

• To take part you must register online at http://www.letsgo.directline.com using a valid Direct Line Policy Number to create an account using a valid email address

Direct Line

Started in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides motor, home; travel and pet insurance cover direct to customers by phone or on-line.

Direct Line general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Company No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Direct Line and UK Insurance limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.

Customers can find out more about Direct Line products or get a quote by calling 0845 246 3761 or visiting .