Household chores tool helps with ‘women’s work’ (insert eye roll)

No, your mother doesn’t live here. If that’s the mindset your husband seems to have about how housework gets done, maybe it’s time for a heart-to-heart talk. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on an average day 19% of men reported doing housework compared to 49% of women.A couple could spend a lot of time arguing over who does the housework and magically keeps things rolling. But now one man has done something to level the playing field, somewhat. No, he didn’t pick up his underwear off the floor — he created an app.

Introducing Labor of Love app

Bob and Catalina Ford had been arguing for years about who was getting chores done around the house. But when Catalina got a high-pressure job as a lawyer, the arguing escalated. Bob had an epiphany; he was leaving too much of the housework to his stressed-out wife. So he created an app, Labor of Love, in which to-do lists are created and chores are assigned. To make things a bit more interesting, the app allows couples to score points as they complete tasks on their to-do lists.The app is only available at the Apple store and comes in a free and ad-free version. The ad-free version costs $3.99 a month and can add up to five people to a chore list — perfect for any family with teenage kids who can pitch in. The developer promises to have a version of the app ready for Android users soon.Labor of Love joins several other available apps that can help anyone tidy up whether they are men, women, single or married. Related: How to get a baby to do housework 

How the household chores app works

The first step in Labor of Love is to create an account and add your partner. Then, create a list of what chores need to be done and you split the items on the to-do list.For example, you want to clean out closets by the end of the weekend. You and your partner divide the task in a way that is fair. Then, you choose how many points to give for each completed task. Let’s say you finish cleaning your first closet before your partner does. You then get five points, while your partner gets three.As you finish your chores and mark them off, the app keeps track of your scores.When you finish your to-do list, the app will tell you who scored the most points. You can then give a prize to the winner. Maybe it’s a date night or those running shoes you’ve been eyeing. The goal of the app is to get both partners involved in doing housework by incentivizing it and turning it into a game.More importantly, it takes the load of housework that may rest entirely on the shoulders of one partner and shares it evenly.Currently, the Labor of Love app is available for iOS devices only. Tap or click here to learn more and download the app.