My parents were liberal intellectuals but even they expected me to stay at home and look after my younger siblings and do the housework.

If you are a writer you locate yourself behind a wall of silence and no matter what you are doing, driving a car or walking or doing housework you can still be writing, because you have that space.

You won't do any more housework? Then you go to the bin.

And, over the last thirty years we have seen men's participation in both housework and childcare has increased and women's have stayed at about the same.

My mother was a wonderful, wonderful woman with a lovely voice who hated housework, hated cooking even more and loved her children. She was always arranging church activities such as a bazaar.

I watched my mother waste her life on housework and swore I'd never do that. Dave does the cooking.

Housework can't kill you, but why take a chance?

There is no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years the dirt doesn't get any worse.

Housework is a breeze. Cooking is a pleasant diversion. Putting up a retaining wall is a lark. But teaching is like climbing a mountain.

Housework, if you do it right, will kill you.

My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?