Published on
Updated
Reading 2 min.
in collaboration with
Siyana Mincheva (Psychologist, psychotherapist)
During the holidays, although we do not work, certain domestic tasks still need to be accomplished. Shopping, cleaning, meals… How to balance the distribution of these chores during the holidays with your partner? Here are the tips from Siyana Mincheva, psychologist.
When you take a vacation to rest, household chores and meal preparation don’t take any time off. With your partner, it is therefore essential to distribute these different tasks as best as possible, so that both parties can rest. But in reality this is not always the case, as shown by this Ifop study carried out in 2022 for the Voyage Avec Nous site, which shows that 67% of women do more tasks on vacation than their partner.
Generally speaking, seven out of ten women are involved in organizing vacations and carrying out vacation-related tasks once at the resort. How can we reduce these differences?
Interviewed by Doctissimo, psychologist Siyana Mincheva recalls that balance in the couple must exist at all times. “IIt’s a question of self-affirmation. The man and the woman each have their place in the couple and both spouses must tell each other things clearly, without filters.“. For the expert, if you feel that balance is not present in your relationship, regarding household chores, you need to talk about it.
Communication, a key element in the couple
“The idea is to be able to share feelings without being afraid of being judged, criticized or ignored.” recalls Siyana Mincheva. So to properly organize your vacation with your partner, one of the keys is communication.
For this, the expert advises “to enter into a process of communication of constructive torque”. The idea is therefore not to blame the other, who does nothing, but to discuss which of the two members of the couple is better able to take charge of this or that task.
Function as a team
This leads the psychologist to raise the following essential point: functioning as a team. “Despite the small arguments that may take place, it is important that both partners can emerge winners from the exchange, like in a team. This helps create trust and strengthen it, more and more“.
Sharing tasks is therefore essential to enjoy your vacation and this is even more true if there are children. “LThe presence of children means that the tasks are much more numerous than for two people, because two people have to take care of each other. If it is always the same person who does it, the relationship becomes unbalanced and this can lead to more conflicts within the couple.“.
An essential reciprocity in the couple
The psychologist therefore recommends reciprocity in the couple. This allows you to take over when the other person is less well or is tired. “THE respect and mutual assistance in the couple are signs of the existing balance in the relationship. When this respect is present, daily life as well as vacations will be experienced in a fluid and harmonious way. she concludes.
Slide: Sharing household chores: 10 tips to motivate the whole family