Following the example of the jaunty television chef, men are now twice as likely to divide domestic cooking duties with their wives or girlfriends than a decade ago.
In the early 1990s, only 16% of couples in their early thirties said they shared the cooking, but now a third say they do equal shares. Growing numbers of men claim to do all the cooking — 15% compared with 5% a decade ago.
The figures from the study by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) show that, with more women going out to work, men are having to take on chores that were previously regarded as women’s work.
Although women still do the lion’s share of housework, more men are helping out in other areas. Of women, 41% say the shopping is shared equally, 28% the cleaning, and 19% the laundry. A decade ago, the figures were 28%, 20% and 10%.
Despite the apparent rise of “new man”, however, men’s aversion to changing nappies has, if anything, deepened. A decade ago, 45% of women said they did all the childcare; this has now risen to 58%, although men are more prepared to step in if a child is ill.
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Aldo Zilli, the London restaurateur, said he had noticed the trend to male cooking. “Men used to just take over a bad barbecue in the summer and burn a few sausages, but now there’s been a definite turnaround in household kitchens. Englishmen are definitely cooking more,” he said. “I run cookery classes in my restaurant every Saturday and last week there were nine men and one girl. Celebrity chefs, television programmes and books have made a huge impact.”
The new findings form part of Seven Ages of Man and Woman, a wide-ranging study of how Britain lives today, published this week by the ESRC.
For the study, thousands of people born in 1970 were interviewed in 2000, when they were 30 and the results compared with a group born in 1958, who were polled in 1991, when they were 33.
The study also reveals that men and women are much less satisfied with their love lives than a decade ago, suggesting that for many unsuspecting girlfriends and boyfriends, an unceremonious “dumping” may be imminent.
The study states: “There is a startling increase in reported unhappy relationships among those born in 1970. One in five men and nearly one in four women claim they are unhappy with their partner, compared with just one in 30 among those born in 1958.”
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Other findings from the study showed the domestic lives of many thirtysomethings are becoming more solitary. Fourteen per cent of 30-year-old men now live alone and 9% of women, compared with 9% and 6% respectively in the early 1990s.
Less than two-thirds of thirtysomethings now own their home, compared with 80% in the early 1990s. Many more are staying at home with their parents instead.
Additional reporting: Ben Dowell