Sexism in the garden?

[Lostvalleyguy]

When it comes to outdoor chores around the home, do you divide up the work on the basis of gender? Does Pa mow the lawn while Ma plants the flowerbed?
Obviously if you are gardening solo, you are doing it all. When it comes to outdoor chores around here, the division of labour hasn't changed a lot in fifty years. The man works with mowers and shovels, ladders and saws. The woman works with trowels and pruners.
I think the garden is one of the last places on earth where women and men have not really shifted their roles.

 

[Pat]

Lostvalleyguy I think you are right. What I see when I see couples doing yard work I see men doing the heavy stuff or how things on the house while women are planting and decorating the yard.

 

[Mandix]

I do all of my gardening alone. Though for other people I think it depends on who can lift the most. If it so happens that the male is the one that can lift the most, then I am sure he'll offer or be asked to do it. I can lift 70+ pounds by myself and am extremely picky about things. So, in my case unless it's heavier than that, I would do it all by myself. In those situations, if something goes wrong, I wouldn't have to blame someone else. I do see your point, though.

 

[Chuck]

It all works out. I do 100% of the work and my wife eats 50% and cans, freezes and drys the stuff and cooks 50%.

 

[Bandit26]

He usually cuts the grass.. not because I cant but because he offers to. He helps a bit with the rest of the yard work but I'd say 90% fall on me. If I want flowers, a garden, etc and he just wants grass its only fair that I do the bulk of the work.

For example.. I want a portable greenhouse.. he doesnt. I'll be putting it up myself after work tomorrow. He will however get the gravel I need for the floor and "deliver" it to the area I'm building in since he's alot bigger and stronger than I am.

He will get the concrete blocks for the new raised beds, I'll construct it. He'll lug the dirt/compost etc but I'm filing everything. This isnt because I cant do it but he has a truck and I have a car so its easier for him to stop and get the bulky dirty supplies. Once thats done he's back to just cutting the grass

 

[Kansas Terri]

My husband is most EXCELLENT in filling out paperwork, doing home repairs, and handling non-living things! However, if it is something we want to live I had better do it! He treats plants like they are scraps of wood, not like they are living things!

Actually I can see why men traditionally do some things, as I have always gotten too tired too quickly. But, if we want something to live I need to do it myself even though I am small and thin. Fortunately it is 2014 now, and so there is a wide assortment of tools available to back up my puny muscles: I only need to buy bigger or better tools and then I do very well indeed! I have a pair of loppers that is nothing short of amazing, and most of my other tools are of similar quality.

I already have a riding lawn mower, but I have been looking at lawn mowers with automatic grass dumpers. I know that the commercial mowers have them but I am not comfortable spending that much for a mower. Full containers of grass are heavy, and that is something I would enjoy not having to lift! I suspect that they do not make them for the typical city lot, though.

Shopping for tools, however, can be a lot of fun and so I will look a bit longer for the ideal mower: if I cannot find a reasonably priced one this year I will have spent nothing but my time!

 

[firelily99]

I do it all myself although occasionally my dad will do the mowing, he has a riding mower which he enjoys using. I like doing all of the work, if its too big of a job we will hire someone to come in with equipment. Otherwise I'm a one woman show.

 

[claudine]

My boyfriend is much stronger and taller than me, so it's natural that he always helps me. He carries bags with soil, because they're too heavy for me and he reaches to branches that are to high for me to get to. I'm not a feminist, I'm a petite girl and I really like being taken care of

 

[Trellum]

When it comes to outdoor chores around the home, do you divide up the work on the basis of gender? Does Pa mow the lawn while Ma plants the flowerbed?
Obviously if you are gardening solo, you are doing it all. When it comes to outdoor chores around here, the division of labour hasn't changed a lot in fifty years. The man works with mowers and shovels, ladders and saws. The woman works with trowels and pruners.
I think the garden is one of the last places on earth where women and men have not really shifted their roles.

Wow, I had never stopped to think about that. You are so right! When me and my guy move to our own place, he will be the one working with shovels and digging holes, while I will be the one doing the lighter and easier chores in the garden. No question about it. I'm not complaining actually... I'm happy things are like that, lol.

 

[Meowmie]

What an interesting thought! I guess we have a very sexist garden! Mostly because I am the one that wants the garden, and because of my limited abilities, heavy work is out for me. He doesn't touch the seedlings or do any transplanting unless I ask him to, if I've run out of energy and need to get stuff in.

Anything that requires strength is left for him. No matter how worn out I am, the cooking and preserving is left for me. If he was left to do it, all we'd have are raw vegies to eat, and they would still have all peelings on. He thinks a kitchen is a magic room from where fully cooked meals appear.

 

[ACSAPA]

When I lived in my previous apartment, which had a yard, I did the weeding, the mowing etc. and I'm a woman. The yard work was part of my rental agreement, but at least I was allowed to pick free mangoes from the tree.

 

[TheBrit]

Myself and ex had a pretty good gardening routine. The house was her domain and the garden mine. As I designed it for low maintainance, flowers/shrubs, raised borders, baskets and tubs, complete with a couple of aviaries things worked out pretty well. Visits to the local garden centre were a dual thing as were the plant and shrub buying. After the planting of new plants and shrubs it would then revert back to being "my" garden.

 

[Becky]

I guess it's all about playing to your strengths - it's a biological fact that men are bigger and stronger than women, so if there is both a man and a woman working on a garden it's more usual that the man will do the heavier work. In our case I also have a dodgy back so Ian won't let me do anything strenuous! He's also not got an artistic eye, so I tend to be the one who picks out plants and I also do the pruning.

 

[fitfattony]

Never though of it that way, my wife certainly can get out and push the lawn mower if she needs to (she doesn't like using a brush cutter) and we both enjoy pruning and trending to the gardens and lawn. Recently we have gotten our kids more involved, especially with the weeding (its something be both detest ) and learning about things like companion planting, harvesting etc and caring for a garden