Research
ISER reveals how British women are neglecting the housework
A study carried out by the Institute for Social and
Economic Research (ISER) has revealed that British women spend less than
half the time that their mothers did on housework.
Women now spend an average of 16 hours a week on household chores, 12
hours less than those in 1961. And while men have increased their hours,
they have not done so significantly given the social changes. They now do
approximately ten hours a week in the home compared to nine hours in 1961.
The results of the study are a reflection of the household revolution
that has occurred since the sixties. Whereas women used to spend hours
dusting, polishing, cooking and washing, they are now more likely to have
jobs which take them away from the home as well as devices such as vacuum
cleaners, dishwashers, and microwave ovens to do the hard work for them.
However, Professor Jonathan Gershuny, Director of ISER, also explained
that there is less of an obsession with cleanliness and more tolerance
towards untidiness in today's world: 'With working-class women there was a
lot of status in being a good housewife.' This coupled with the fact that
more people, especially professional people, socialise in bars and
restaurants more than they ever did before, means that domestic
cleanliness has been put on the back burner.
The study is based on more than 1,000 people across the country who
logged their household routine during 1999 and 2000. Professor Gershuny
then compared the figures with similar ones compiled by the BBC in 1961.
New booklet aims to halt loss of important research
data
A new booklet has been launched to try to stop the loss of
important research data which are under threat because of the pace of
technological change.
Data collection during research in the humanities, sciences, medicine
and commerce has seen an unprecedented increase in the last 30 years. But,
ironically, the advent of computerised data has put their long-term
preservation at risk, because of the speed at which computer systems
become obsolete.
Recognising this threat, the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and the UK
Data Archive (UKDA) have published a booklet aimed at promoting the
preservation and sharing of electronic data.
The booklet, Preserving and Sharing Statistical Material, is available
free of charge, from the UK Data Archive and the Royal Statistical
Society.
It is targeted at those who have responsibility for data collection,
but perhaps have limited experience of data preservation. Its goal is to
encourage a stronger ethos of data preservation and sharing amongst all
data producers, whether researching science, the humanities, medicine or
finance.
Kevin Schürer, Director of the UK Data Archive, based at the
University, said: 'Despite recent technical advances, indeed in part as a
result of them, computerised data are potentially at greater risk of loss
or redundancy than ever before, if only because of the sheer pace of
technical change. The need to be aware of the benefits of sharing and
preserving data is greater now than ever.'
He noted that the concept of data archiving, and their re-use for
secondary purposes, is established in the social sciences, with proven
value to the research community, policy-makers, special interest groups
and the public.
President of the RSS, Peter Green, said: 'We recognise that the
requirements for preserving electronic material may, on first
consideration, appear daunting. However, we also believe that many of the
difficulties could be reduced or eliminated if organisations were to
implement a system of best practice.'
The new booklet includes the Royal Statistical Society Code of Best
Practice on the Preservation and Sharing of Statistical Material. The
booklet sets out the arguments for data preservation and sharing, and
discusses what should be preserved - recognising that it is neither
practical nor appropriate to preserve everything.
The booklet discusses strategies for preserving material and
suggestions for overcoming barriers to preservation. It also lists expert
organisations specialising in data preservation, which can offer advice
and assistance.
For further information contact Hilary Beedham at the Data Archive on
872570, e-mail beedh@essex.ac.uk
Also in the printed April edition of Wyvern:
- Commons date for diabetes research
- Bookshelf
Plus
