Developed by The Center for Work and the Family

Think about the activities and task you have done this past week in caring for your home and/or children. Together with your partner, brainstorm all the tasks you can think of which are involved in caring for a home and family. List them on a separate sheet of paper. Next, can you each identify one or more tasks which fit the following categories? Finally, discuss the implications for your sharing of household tasks and responsibilities.

1. I do these activities/tasks myself because I enjoy them; they give me pleasure and satisfaction:

2. I do these activities/tasks myself because I want them done a certain way, i.e., I want control over how they are done, or I want them done to a certain standard:

3. I do these activities/tasks myself because I think I SHOULD be the one to do them.

4. I do not mind doing these activities, but I would like to do them less often:

5. I HATE doing these activities/tasks:

6. These are tasks that I never get around to that I would like help addressing:

7. These are tasks I’d like to do with my partner because I am unsure of myself, I am uncertain about how to proceed, or they make me anxious:

8. If someone would show my how, in a supportive way, I would be glad to get more involved with these activities/tasks:

9. These are task that I wish we, as a couple, would agree to do less often or less perfectly:

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