No More Mr. Handyman
Younger men don't know how to un-clog a drain. But who needs 'em?
We're proud feminists. We'd never deny that. But when it comes to large, hairy spider-smushing, we'll happily offer a high-heeled shoe to the nearest testosterone-laden man as we cower in fear and dance the "ick, ick, ick!" jig.
Plenty of women depend on men for even more stereotypically masculine tasks, such as plunging toilets, re-wiring light fixtures, and installing storm windows. Boyfriend, husband, dad, landlord -- it doesn't matter just as long as she doesn't have to do it!
Traditional gender roles are at work here: some women prefer to stick to cooking-and-cleaning and some men insist they're the only ones who can properly complete these Mr. Fix-It-Projects, a la Tim "The Toolman" Taylor. (Uh huh.)
But a new study shows Mr. Fix-It is a dying breed: London's Daily Mail reports the under-40 generation of men is less handy around the house than the over-40s. Tsk, tsk. Guess this means men are only good for sex.
Kidding!
In a study of 3,000 men, among those under age 40, almost 33% didn't know how to unblock a sink, 25% did not know how to change a fuse, and 7% couldn't change a lightbulb. The, um, good news? Ninety-three percent of men know how to change a lightbulb.
Over-40 men proved to be much more handy in all of those areas (they were confused when it came to assembling flat-pack furniture, which we guess means IKEA). Of course, the survey was on a home improvement web site, which has a vested interest in selling products to bumbling Mr. Fix-Its.
But in any case, who needs a man to unblock the sink for you? We women can do those things on our own, of course (see: Martha Stewart, This Old House, Domino magazine, Extreme Makeover: Home Addition). If we are single and living alone, or suddenly become widowed or divorced, we'll have no choice but to care for our home ourselves. Being dependent on a man to do household improvements that might get your hands dirty is so not 2008.
Whether she's single, dating or married, a girl's got to have her own toolkit and know how to use it!