Even with dogs and cats, the care work remains mainly with the woman
Berlin. BARFER'S, a leading company in the pet food industry that specializes in the production and distribution of high-quality, biologically appropriate raw food for dogs and cats, has taken a close look at the distribution of tasks among couples when it comes to pets. To do this, the company conducted a survey of 811 of its customers in March. The results confirm the general perception that, even today, care work often falls on the shoulders of women in heterosexual couples.
Healthy eating is a woman’s issue
Healthy eating is apparently a female issue. Over 70 percent of the people surveyed who live in heterosexual relationships said that the woman decides what the pet is fed to. It doesn't matter whether the couple has a dog or a cat. Among dog owners, women are primarily responsible for feeding the dog in over 60 percent of cases, while only just under 9 percent of men do this regularly. A third of those surveyed said they share this task.
In most cases, it is also the woman who buys the pet food – this is what 61 percent of dog owners and 53 percent of cat owners said.
Many women do not only take on the lion's share of the work when it comes to feeding the animal. In heterosexual relationships, the woman is also usually primarily responsible for raising the pet. (59.4%) in contrast to man (7%). Likewise, more than half (59%) of women plan veterinary visits into their daily routine, while only a quarter (29%) of the couples the doctor visits are divided.
Women also often take on everyday tasks. In heterosexual relationships, 48 percent of women mainly walk the dog and only 13 percent of men. The trend is also evident among cat owners. Here, every second woman also cleans the (55%) The cat litter box alone. Grooming the pets is even taken care of in two thirds (73%) of the cases the women.
At least when asked who mainly cuddles with the animal, the majority of respondents (59%) that the ratio is balanced.
Like dog and cat?
The survey did not reveal any major differences in the distribution of tasks between dog and cat owners. Among those surveyed, 589 people said they owned a dog, 53 a cat, and 169 both a dog and a cat.
Only 53 of the respondents stated that they were in a same-sex relationship. Therefore, the results do not allow any general conclusions to be drawn about the distribution of tasks among homosexual couples. However, the answer option 'balanced' was chosen more frequently among the 53 respondents, which suggests a fairer distribution of tasks.