Cleaning Up for Equality: A Call to Action for College Men
Empty Monster cans clutter the closet, sweaty t-shirts hang from the pull-up bar, a used bath towel is draped over the desk chair and the only things neatly stacked are tubs of protein powder. Welcome to the stereotypical college man’s dorm room.
One of the prevailing cliches of college men is how filthy our living spaces are. I’ve seen many men’s college dorm rooms and apartments, and the bar is lower than even I thought possible. It’s time to man up and clean up — not because discipline is inherently good, but because it’s a key step toward gender equality. Let me explain.
I’m as much of a slob as the next guy. For most of my childhood, my father sought to instill in me the value of a clean house. When I began dating my first girlfriend, he saw it as an opportunity to further motivate me: “If you marry that girl,” he would say, gesturing to a sinkful of dirty dishes, “are you going to leave the house like this for her?” I realized that sharing housework was one of the reasons for my parents’ successful marriage. They both valued a clean house, so they never argued about housework. Even better, my father’s willingness to share the burden of cooking and cleaning left my mother ample time to pursue her art business. I decided if I wanted to be seen as husband material, I should put more care into cleaning up.
Many studies have found that women spend more time on household work and childcare than men. Single women without children spend more time on housework than their male counterparts, and after marriage, this gap widens. After having a child, surely men take on more responsibilities, right? Nope. One study found that men actually cut back on domestic labor by five hours a week after becoming fathers while women take on far more.
This inequality in household labor is a major driver of the gender pay gap. Longitudinal economic studies of the U.S., Germany and Italy find that spending more time on housework lowers wages more for women than men. In part because of an increased domestic workload, women in the workforce see their incomes fall by half after becoming mothers. This isn’t because husbands spend more hours breadwinning. Even in heterosexual marriages where women are the primary earner, they still spend more time on housework. Equal opportunity in the workplace depends on equal responsibilities at home.
What explains this troubling trend? Since housework is assumed to be their responsibility, women face greater social pressure to keep a tidy house than men do. In one study, people rated an identical room as messier when it was said to be “Jennifer’s” versus “John’s.” Mothers are more likely than fathers to apologize for a messy house. This results in undue stress: Married women have been found to have greater increases in cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress, than their husbands when their space is messy.
Millennial women have tried to encourage their male partners to pick up the slack. A new book and accompanying 100-card deck titled “Fair Play” is one solution marketed to young dual-earner couples for quantifying and rebalancing housework. But many women have found it to be an uphill battle, having to provide constant reminders to their male partners to ensure they get the chores done. Turns out, it’s hard to build new habits as an adult, and cooking and cleaning regularly isn’t as easy as it sounds. Men are facing a skill issue.
What has to change here? We do, gentlemen. For the sake of gender equality, we need to care more about cleanliness.
Here’s the good news: Generation Z men, still in the habit-building phase of early adulthood, are uniquely situated to shift the culture here. As I’ve written in a previous column, college is the time to build good habits. If you think cleaning a dorm room is hard, imagine a three-bedroom home. If you build the habit now, you’ll start building intrinsic motivation to keep a tidy home. Even if you don’t see marriage or children in your future, your actions can go a long way toward raising the bar for other guys.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to schedule an hour or two of cleaning time in your Google Calendar this week. Make a Target run. Buy some Windex, a second bath towel and maybe even some organizing bins and labels. By cleaning your room, you’re doing more than improving your living space — you’re raising the standards of tidiness for yourself and your brothers-in-arms, and thereby advancing gender equality.
Evan Tao ’27 can be reached at evan_tao@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Cleaning Up for Equality: A Call to Action for College Men
Empty Monster cans clutter the closet, sweaty t-shirts hang from the pull-up bar, a used bath towel is draped over the desk chair and the only things neatly stacked are tubs of protein powder. Welcome to the stereotypical college man’s dorm room.
One of the prevailing cliches of college men is how filthy our living spaces are. I’ve seen many men’s college dorm rooms and apartments, and the bar is lower than even I thought possible. It’s time to man up and clean up — not because discipline is inherently good, but because it’s a key step toward gender equality. Let me explain.
I’m as much of a slob as the next guy. For most of my childhood, my father sought to instill in me the value of a clean house. When I began dating my first girlfriend, he saw it as an opportunity to further motivate me: “If you marry that girl,” he would say, gesturing to a sinkful of dirty dishes, “are you going to leave the house like this for her?” I realized that sharing housework was one of the reasons for my parents’ successful marriage. They both valued a clean house, so they never argued about housework. Even better, my father’s willingness to share the burden of cooking and cleaning left my mother ample time to pursue her art business. I decided if I wanted to be seen as husband material, I should put more care into cleaning up.
Many studies have found that women spend more time on household work and childcare than men. Single women without children spend more time on housework than their male counterparts, and after marriage, this gap widens. After having a child, surely men take on more responsibilities, right? Nope. One study found that men actually cut back on domestic labor by five hours a week after becoming fathers while women take on far more.
This inequality in household labor is a major driver of the gender pay gap. Longitudinal economic studies of the U.S., Germany and Italy find that spending more time on housework lowers wages more for women than men. In part because of an increased domestic workload, women in the workforce see their incomes fall by half after becoming mothers. This isn’t because husbands spend more hours breadwinning. Even in heterosexual marriages where women are the primary earner, they still spend more time on housework. Equal opportunity in the workplace depends on equal responsibilities at home.
What explains this troubling trend? Since housework is assumed to be their responsibility, women face greater social pressure to keep a tidy house than men do. In one study, people rated an identical room as messier when it was said to be “Jennifer’s” versus “John’s.” Mothers are more likely than fathers to apologize for a messy house. This results in undue stress: Married women have been found to have greater increases in cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress, than their husbands when their space is messy.
Millennial women have tried to encourage their male partners to pick up the slack. A new book and accompanying 100-card deck titled “Fair Play” is one solution marketed to young dual-earner couples for quantifying and rebalancing housework. But many women have found it to be an uphill battle, having to provide constant reminders to their male partners to ensure they get the chores done. Turns out, it’s hard to build new habits as an adult, and cooking and cleaning regularly isn’t as easy as it sounds. Men are facing a skill issue.
What has to change here? We do, gentlemen. For the sake of gender equality, we need to care more about cleanliness.
Here’s the good news: Generation Z men, still in the habit-building phase of early adulthood, are uniquely situated to shift the culture here. As I’ve written in a previous column, college is the time to build good habits. If you think cleaning a dorm room is hard, imagine a three-bedroom home. If you build the habit now, you’ll start building intrinsic motivation to keep a tidy home. Even if you don’t see marriage or children in your future, your actions can go a long way toward raising the bar for other guys.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to schedule an hour or two of cleaning time in your Google Calendar this week. Make a Target run. Buy some Windex, a second bath towel and maybe even some organizing bins and labels. By cleaning your room, you’re doing more than improving your living space — you’re raising the standards of tidiness for yourself and your brothers-in-arms, and thereby advancing gender equality.
Evan Tao ’27 can be reached at evan_tao@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Clean Up for Equality: Why College Men Should Tidy Up
Empty Monster cans clutter the closet, sweaty t-shirts hang from the pull-up bar, and a used bath towel drapes over the desk chair. Welcome to the stereotypical college man’s dorm room. While it may seem like a rite of passage, the reality is that this mess isn’t just a personal choice; it’s a reflection of broader societal issues.
The Messy Truth
The prevailing stereotype of college men is that we’re slobs. I’ve seen countless dorm rooms and apartments, and the bar is set lower than I ever imagined. But it’s time to man up and clean up—not just for the sake of discipline, but because it’s a crucial step toward gender equality. Let me explain.
Growing up, my father instilled in me the value of a clean house. When I began dating my first girlfriend, he used it as a teaching moment: “If you marry that girl,” he’d say, gesturing to a sink full of dirty dishes, “are you going to leave the house like this for her?” This lesson stuck with me. I realized that sharing housework was a cornerstone of my parents’ successful marriage. They both valued a clean home, which meant fewer arguments about chores. My father’s willingness to share the burden allowed my mother to pursue her art business, creating a partnership built on mutual respect.
The Gender Gap in Housework
Studies reveal that women spend significantly more time on household work and childcare than men. Even single women without children dedicate more time to housework than their male counterparts. After marriage, this gap only widens. Surprisingly, when men become fathers, they often reduce their domestic responsibilities by five hours a week, while women take on even more.
This imbalance in household labor is a major contributor to the gender pay gap. Research from the U.S., Germany, and Italy shows that spending more time on housework negatively impacts women’s wages more than men’s. After becoming mothers, women’s incomes can drop by half—not because their husbands are working more, but because women are still shouldering the bulk of household responsibilities. Equal opportunity in the workplace hinges on equal responsibilities at home.
The Social Pressure
Why does this trend persist? Women face greater social pressure to maintain a tidy home. Studies show that identical rooms are perceived as messier when associated with a woman’s name compared to a man’s. Mothers are more likely to apologize for a messy house, leading to increased stress levels. Married women experience higher cortisol levels—indicating stress—than their husbands when their living spaces are untidy.
Millennial women have tried to encourage their male partners to share the load. One innovative solution is the book and card deck titled “Fair Play,” designed to help dual-earner couples quantify and rebalance housework. Yet many women find it an uphill battle, often needing to remind their partners to complete chores. Building new habits as an adult is challenging, and many men face a skill gap when it comes to cooking and cleaning.
A Call to Action
So, what needs to change? We do, gentlemen. For the sake of gender equality, we need to care more about cleanliness. The good news is that Generation Z men are in a prime position to shift this culture. College is the perfect time to establish good habits. If you think cleaning a dorm room is tough, imagine managing a three-bedroom home. By building the habit now, you’ll cultivate intrinsic motivation to maintain a tidy living space.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to schedule an hour or two of cleaning time in your Google Calendar this week. Make a trip to Target, grab some Windex, a second bath towel, and perhaps some organizing bins and labels. By cleaning your room, you’re not just improving your living space; you’re raising the standards of tidiness for yourself and your peers, ultimately advancing gender equality.
Let’s step up and show that we can be more than just messy college guys. Together, we can create a culture of shared responsibility that benefits everyone.
Evan Tao ’27 can be reached at evan_tao@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.