Fifty-eight percent of women say it's their 'job' to clean, and 25% of all women feel like they are the cleaning 'leader' in their homes, but 45% of men say they contribute to the household accordingly, SC Johnson's Scrubbing Bubbles survey finds

Michelle Rivera

RACINE, Wisconsin , February 1, 2012 (press release) – The role men play inside the home has certainly started to evolve compared to 30 years ago, and most men seem to be stepping up to help with household chores. But, is it enough and are they given credit for their efforts by their female counterparts? Apparently not. The makers of Scrubbing Bubbles® released today the second annual Dirty Work Index™ survey(1), and found when it comes to cleaning, women still play the dominant role and in fact, may not be ready to share the spotlight even though they want more help. As a result, Scrubbing Bubbles® has partnered with John Gray(2), best-selling author of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus," to engage couples in a healthy discussion to try to resolve the age-old household chore debate, bringing harmony to the home.

The Down and Dirty Facts

The second annual Dirty Work Index™ survey found that when it comes to cleaning, women think they do it all. In fact, 58 percent of women say it's their "job" to clean, and a quarter (25 percent) of all women feels as if they are the cleaning "leader" in their homes. Conversely, more than half of women confided that they want more overall help from their partner or spouse, but 38 percent don't trust them to meet their standards of cleanliness.

Manning Up

The survey revealed that men are helping around the house, however they aren't given credit when credit's due. Interestingly, 45 percent of men surveyed say it's their job to clean and contribute to the household accordingly. More surprisingly, nearly 75 percent of men claim to clean to make their spouse or partner happy – demonstrating they do care about helping out and are picking up the slack.

"Women's and men's roles outside the home have definitely evolved, but the Dirty Work Index™ survey results indicate that we need to make more of an effort to make changes inside the home, too," says Gray, whose bestselling book "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus" is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. "It's important to take a closer look at things like household tasks to determine what's working – and what's not."

Gray Helps Couples Tackle the Chore War

From February 2012 through June 2012, John Gray will be offering tips and advice to couples on how to conquer household chores and create more harmony at home. By visiting Scrubby Solution's Facebook tab families can share their roles, responsibilities and tips for getting it all done. Additionally, they can participate in a Q&A session with John Gray, take a cleaning personality quiz complete with product recommendations and cleaning solutions, and read more surprising data from the Scrubbing Bubbles® Dirty Work Index™ survey.

Cleaning for the 21st Century: A Balancing Act

The foundation of a family begins at home so managing home life – including cleaning – is essential to families' happiness. How families deal with household chores either strengthens the partnership or creates a divide. Gray offers this advice for creating the best atmosphere at home:

Define the roles: It's important to identify all the household chores and discuss who will have ownership of each.
Discuss expectations: The results showed that women don't trust men to meet their standards of clean. Gray recommends that women actually show men how they want the house cleaned and that couples discuss what clean means to each of them.
Look for time-saving cleaning tools: Stock your home with cleaning products that are easy to use and efficient. For example, use Scrubbing Bubbles® Automatic Shower Cleaner and Scrubbing Bubbles® One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner. These products make the tough tasks easier so anyone in the family can help clean.
Remember to say thank you: Whether or not the bathroom shines the way you want, don't forget to say thank you for making the effort.

Scrubbing Bubbles
Scrubbing Bubbles® is a trusted partner when it comes to keeping the bathroom clean. The Scrubbing Bubbles® lineup of products helps families tackle a wide range of surfaces, making the cleaning process faster and easier.

Scrubbing Bubbles® Automatic Shower Cleaner
Scrubbing Bubbles® Automatic Shower Cleaner focuses on parts of the shower where dirt and grime tend to build up most. The sprayer spins 360-degrees to cover the entire shower and cleans where soap scum, mold and mildew stains collect. Start with a clean shower and Scrubbing Bubbles® Automatic Shower Cleaner cleans your shower in just days, keeping it clean for up to 30 days.

Scrubbing Bubbles® One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner
The Scrubbing Bubbles® One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner is a foot-activated toilet cleaning system that helps keep the toilet effortlessly clean and fresh. Simply step on the pedal twice a day and the cleaning solution sprays 360-degrees around the toilet bowl, tackling toilet stains. Start with a clean toilet and Scrubbing Bubbles® One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner will keep it clean for up to 30 days.

Scrubbing Bubbles® products are available in grocery, drug and mass-merchandise retailers. For more information on Scrubbing Bubbles® visit www.scrubbingbubbles.com, www.Facebook.com/ScrubbingBubbles or follow us on Twitter at @ScrubbingBubble

SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, TANA®, BAMA®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR. MUSCLE®, and RIDSECT®. The 126-year old company, that generates $9 billion in sales, employs nearly 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

(1) The Scrubbing Bubbles® Scrubbing Bubbles Dirty Work Index™ Comprehensive Report was a telephone survey conducted by StrategyOne between September 19 – October 4, 2011. The sample included 1,500 women ages 22-65, both single and currently living with their spouse or significant other and 500 men ages 22-65, including a quota 250 males currently living with their spouse or significant other. The national results of this study have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 for the female sample and plus or minus 4.4 for the male sample, both at the 95 percent level of confidence.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.