As the World Cup approaches, so do the mindless facts and figures and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the gender stereotypes. Every single media outlet seems to assume that all men love football while all women have an inbuilt inability to understand the offside rule. Even places like The Mayfair Hotel have split us into 'Widows' and 'Warriors', reinforcing the stereotype that women can't stand soccer.
Recently, some bright spark at Indesit decided to ask 4,000 UK 'wives and girlfriends', aged between 18 and 65, about their expected experiences during the impending event in South Africa and has remarked that women "will have to fend for themselves, receive little attention from their partners and be left to carry out all the household chores". I'm sorry? What decade are we living in again? The survey also found that:
"While three quarters of men currently help with the household chores, one in five women realise they'll receive no help with the washing up when the tournament commences on Friday. Another quarter will have their weekends ruined, 15 per cent will have to cook dinner every night and one in ten will be lumbered with the kids."
It astounds me that there are so many women out there who either don't know the meaning of the word compromise, or who are seemingly putting up with a partner they secretly despise. Surely you knew he loved football when you got together? Can't you let him have a bit of time for his hobby? Do you really spend so little time communicating that you haven't negotiated how to not have your weekends 'ruined' by the World Cup?
If your partner is refusing to look after the kids while you see your friends or can't seem to give you time to do the things you want to do, then I can see why you might get angry, but you do have to discuss these things first. Talking about areas in a relationship where there are differences of opinion is very important indeed. Make arrangements, agree rules and boundaries. Don't simply bottle it all up.
For me, the most shocking result of this survey is that, apparently, "One in six women will receive fewer kisses and cuddles and one in twelve will get less sex. The lack of attention from partners means 14 per cent of women see the World Cup putting a strain on their relationship - four in ten will argue more and one in ten will look elsewhere for attention". So the World Cup is going to turn us all into sex-starved bags of fury who silently seethe whilst chained to the kitchen sink?
I don't know which is worse, the fact that companies still pay for research like this or the fact that some women actually put up with the sort of man who ignores them for a month to watch 22 men run around a field on television. If it bothers you that much, find one of the many men out there who don't watch football. Find a screen-free pub in the next few weeks and start chatting.
What hope is there for those of us who can't stand the same tired old footie-related gender stereotypes though? After reading this pile of sexist rubbish, if I have a need to shop for a household appliance in the near future, Indesit will most certainly be at the top of my list of brands to avoid.
Image via philosophyfootball's Flickr