According to the 1997 Office for National Statistics data, how do the daily hours spent by women on domestic tasks compare with men?

• A. Women spend about 2 hours, men about 5 hours.
• B. Women spend about 8 hours, men 4 hours.
• C. Women spend about 5 hours daily on domestic tasks, men about 2.5 hours.
• D. Women and men spend equal time.

Answer: (C)

Time-use data shows how households distribute unpaid domestic work between genders. The 1997 Office for National Statistics figures indicate women spend about five hours each day on domestic tasks, while men spend around two and a half hours. This reveals a clear gender gap, with women承担ing a substantially larger share of housework, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and caregiving on a daily basis. The pattern persists even as work patterns change, reflecting social norms and responsibility distribution within families. The other options either invert the amounts, exaggerate them, or suggest equality, none of which align with the observed data.