30 November 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Women claim to do more DIY than men
Nottingham & Long Eaton Topper
SUMMARY
Women habe long suspected that men do very little "doing" when it comes to do-it-yourself jobs around the home.
PRESS RELEASE
Now, a new survey from Checkatrade.com - the UK's most trusted website for monitoring the reputation of tradespeople - highlights a peculiar anomoly: women claim they actually do much more DIY than men say they do.
The research amongst homeowners found the biggest gap in perception between the sexes was in the East Midlands. Here just 5% of men say that the woman of the house does the DIY, whilst 22% of the women themselves claim to do the lion's share - four times more.
Men claim the fairer sex is less handy around the house than the women say they are - and that's in every single region of the UK.
Nationally, as an average, just 14% of men admit that the woman of the house does the majority of the DIY. But when you ask woman who do most DIY, they believe it's more like 28% - twice as many.
The most harmonious sharing of DIY tasks is found in Northern Ireland.
The research also highlighted a startling disagreement between men and women regarding who makes the decisions on booking a tradesman. A quarter of men say it's the woman who decides on the builder, plumber or sparky, while 47% say the truth is, it's actually down to them. Alan Redman, a chartered occupational psychologist said: DIY prowess can be an important aspect of self-identity for men. This can lead them to unconsciously over-estimate their level of skill and under-estimate the DIY contributions of others, such as their wives and partners. This is a psychological effect developed to protect the sense of self from threatening thoughts, such as 'my wife is just as good with a power drill than me'.
Kevin Byrne, founder of Checkatrade.com, a business committed to stamping out cowboy builders, added "Going on our own experience I'd have to say I believe the women! We find when we talk to our trade Checkatrade members, they state that the initial call to themis almost always from a woman, they are savvy and very careful about how they choose tradespeople. Often it's a case of women resorting to picking up the power drill because they just want the job done without fuss - they're fed up of waiting for their other halves to fix things".
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Checkatrade helps combat the UK's rogue trader problem by continuously vetting and monitoring local traders such as builders, plumbers and electricians. The idea was born in 1998 after a tornado hit the small West Sussex town of Selsey. Traders poured in from as far away as Liverpool and Manchester. Unfortunately, some ripped off the inhabitants of the town. Local businessman, Kevin Byrne, realised there was nowhere to check out the traders’ credentials and the company that became Checkatrade was formed.
Since then, Checkatrade has grown to include over 6,300 genuine trade members, growing by an average 120 new members every month, and, via the Royal Mail, distributes 5.9 million directories a year into communities throughout Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Dorset and Berkshire, while the website includes traders from across the UK.
CONTACT INFORMATION
PR / Marketing, Checkatrade
5 - 6 Sherrington Mews, Ellis Square, Selsey, West Sussex, PO20 0FJ
Tel: 01243 601234
Fax: 01243 601246
info@checkatrade.com
