Women still doing more housework and childcare than men, report finds

Women continue to do more housework and childcare than men, especially those aged between 26 and 35, an official report shows.

Women put in more than double the proportion of unpaid work when it comes to cooking, childcare and housework, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

On average, men put in 16 hours a week of unpaid work, compared to 26 by women, with mothers on maternity leave doing the most, it was found.

The only area where men put in more unpaid work is transport, such as driving people around.

The study also revealed that the average amount of time parents devote to childcare has fallen slightly since 2000, while increasing for the over 60s.

Women aged 26 to 36 did the most unpaid work, at 34 hours a week, while people over the age of 56 did the most cooking and laundry.

The ONS said the average man would earn £166 more a week if unpaid work was paid, compared to £259 for a woman.

The research, for 2015, showed that average full-time students did 12 hours of unpaid work a week, compared with 60 for women on maternity leave.