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30th Aug 2022

Judge Rinder introduces UK’s first ‘clean up pre-nup’ to guarantee fairer division of domestic duties

Jack Peat

Made in Chelsea’s Maeva D’Ascanio and James Taylor have signed the first agreement

Judge Rinder has become the face of the UK’s first ‘clean up pre-nup’ agreement.

The legal luvie has joined the fight for a fairer division of domestic duties, with a pre-marital agreement now available to all couples in a bid to put an end to the chore wars.

A poll of 2,000 adults living with a partner found 24 per cent clash heads over one person starting on the housework but not actually finishing it, and 17 per cent see red when they notice the shower hasn’t been ‘squeegeed’ after use.

Other quarrels to feature in the top 30 list include not dusting properly, leaving crumbs in the bed and whose turn it is to clean the floor.

It also emerged gender stereotypes are far from a thing of the past, as 54 per cent of women believe they are still doing the lion’s share of the housework.

A spokesperson for cleaning brand method said: “We’re on a mission to challenge cleaning stereotypes and make the world a more fun, fabulous and inclusive place.

“It’s shocking that in 2022 we’re still seeing such disparities in the way cleaning and housework are shared.”

To help ease the arguments and mark the launch of its new multi-surface concentrated cleaner, method has worked with legal service, Lawrence Stephens, to launch the ‘Clean Up Pre-nup’.

Made in Chelsea’s Maeva D’Ascanio and James Taylor have signed the first agreement, officiated by barrister and broadcaster Rob Rinder.

Raphaela Kohs, solicitor at Lawrence Stephens, said: “While cleaning and housework may appear like trivial things to argue about on the surface, they represent something much bigger – inequality.

“The simplest way to solve issues and avoid conflict arising is by addressing these issues when you begin cohabiting and by fairly and transparently divvying out domestic duties.”

The study also found 45 per cent of women cohabiting with a male partner said household tasks are ‘disproportionately split’, compared to just 34 per cent of men who said the same.

And 39 per cent of the females who claim this imbalance increased during the pandemic said it hasn’t rebalanced since adapting to post-lockdown life.

But it’s not just heterosexual pairs experiencing domestic disruption, as 41 per cent of same sex cohabiting couples said there’s a notable imbalance in how their housework is split too.

It also emerged 49 per cent of those polled said their partner expects praise or thanks when they finally manage to complete a task.

While 17 per cent of partners believe they’re offering a helping hand and 26 per cent think they’re doing the other a ‘favour’.

For a third, it is so extreme, they may have reconsidered moving in together had they known how the housework would be divided.

But while 24 per cent are frustrated by the inequality of household chores, it’s not necessarily because they don’t enjoy cleaning.

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