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A majority of Indian women want men to actively help in household chores during festivals, reveals a survey. www.shaadi.com, a matchmaking service, conducted a survey to understand what Indian men and women think about roles in marriage, especially during festivals. When women were asked ‘During festivals, do you think men and women have equal responsibilities?', 66 per cent said ‘No' and 34 per cent said ‘Yes'.  When men were asked the same question, 75 per cent said ‘Yes' and 25 per cent said ‘No'.

The data suggests a clear disparity in the point of view of men and women when it comes to sharing responsibilities.  However, the men are no longer expecting women to handle all responsibilities, especially during festivals.  When asked, ‘Do you think it's a woman's responsibility to do all the household activities?', 100 per cent of the users (both men and women) said ‘NO'. As a follow-up, they were also asked, ‘Do you think men and women should share equal responsibilities in household activities?', 100 per cent of the users (both men and women) said ‘Yes'.

That said, it is believed that women are more involved in festivals, and when asked ‘Do you think women are more enthusiastic during festivals?', 47 per cent said ‘Yes’, 42 per cent said ‘Maybe' and 11 per cent said ‘No'.  The survey also revealed that women would like an equal contribution, and when asked ‘How would you like the men to contribute?', 83 per cent said ‘Actively helping in the household chores', 17 per cent said ‘Cleaning the house' and none chose ‘Cooking for family and guests'. This online survey received over 7300 responses from Indians (men and women; single and married) aged between 24 and 40 years.