The basic facts about the gendered division of domestic work, especially the double burden of employed wives and mothers, are hardly a secret. Qualitative sociological studies such as Arlie Hochschild's The Second Shift (1989) have been widely reported. News items based on quantitative data from large-scale studies also appear, often being contrasted with the ‘myth’ of the New Man:

Nevertheless, it is worth discussing carefully the empirical evidence of the division of domestic labour. Not to restate the obvious – that a broad sexual division of labour exists – but to explore in detail what is known about the organisation of domestic life, especially in connection with men's practices and attitudes. This sets the basis for the theoretical discussion in this chapter and chapter 2, and the subsequent analysis of the way men have figured in the public mind.

The example of married men in households where both spouses have paying jobs will be emphasised, since optimism about change is based on this case (though contrasts with other situations, within and outside marriage, prove very revealing). The revolving-door model, discussed more closely in chapter 3, is simple enough: as women take on more paid work, men will compensate by taking on more unpaid work.