Affordance Theory: Scientists Explain Why Women Tend to See More Housework Than Men

Despite women making up nearly 50% of the US workforce, they still do a larger share of housework than their male counterparts. According to Gallup News, married or partnered coupled in the country divide housework along traditional lines in which women shoulder the primary responsibility of doing laundry, cleaning, and preparing meals, while men do car maintenance and yard work.

Now, experts from Cambridge University suggested that men and women see the 'possibility for action' at home differently. This view is called the 'affordance theory,' which may explain why women take on more of the burden of housework and childcare.

(Photo: Pixabay/Khaligo)
Affordance Theory: Scientists Explain Why Women Tend to See More Housework Than Men

Perceiving an Affordance Triggers Women to Act

MailOnline cited an example the experts wrote in the journal Philosophy and Phenomenological Research that says Jill would likely see the dishes needed to be cleaned, dirty floors needed to be swept, a refrigerator to be stocked, and a necessary counter to be wiped compared to Jack who would see that there are dishes in the sink, bananas more brown than yellow, and an empty refrigerator.

Whereas Jill perceives those things and is triggered to act on them, these perceptions do not 'tug' at Jack as they do not see them as tasks needed to be done.

Professor Paulina Sliwa explained that perceiving an affordance can stimulate the neural processes that prepare a person for physical action. It can range from a slight surge to an overwhelming compulsion. Sometimes, it takes a lot to not act on an affordance that can pull people's attention and may irritate the observer until done.

She noted that this puts women in a situation where there is an unequal distribution of housework or childcare and an inequality between the number of mental resources used.

Dr. Tom McClelland noted that there are some skills that women are expected to be good at and do more, like cleaning or grooming, than men. Due to this, it trains their ways how they see their domestic environment.

But researchers said that men should be encouraged to improve their sensitivity to seeing the possibilities for action, like adopting a resolution to sweep for crumbs while waiting for the kettle to boil. They believe that it might gradually retrain men's perception to start seeing affordance in the future.

Affordance Theory Explained

Affordance theory was proposed by James J. Gibson and explained how every person perceives their environment, according to Health Research Funding. The theory suggests that what people see will lead to a decision they make. Gibson defines affordance as a clue within an environment that triggers an action to be taken.

These actions could be immediate even without sensory processing, or can be indirect or unconscious, or pursued after giving what has been visually perceived an examination through sensory processing. Some examples of affordance are an elevator call button, a door knob, a steering wheel, or a computer mouse.

Understanding the environmental clues can help people learn more and decide which action to take and the reasons behind those actions. For instance, seeing a refrigerator might prompt opening it due to hunger or seeing a black cat and running away from it because of the belief that they bring bad luck.