Wife promises husband sex and beer for being a basic adult and doing household chores

Picture this: A world where all men play an equal part in managing a household. One where they naturally observe and complete necessary tasks around the house without throwing privileged man-child tantrums that could put a 2-year-old to shame. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But why? Because even in the 21st century, patriarchy and gender stereotypes are very much still a thing. And if someone disagrees, just show them this so-called chores chart listing out basic tasks for "Daddy" and the rewards awaiting the overgrown baby upon completing them:

This chores chart—which we imagine was crafted by a desperate, fed-up, overworked, and run-down mother and wife/girlfriend—promises a range of rewards for the man of the house in return for completing tasks such as washing dishes, putting the damn toilet seat down, changing diapers, and packing the kids' lunch. You know, all the tasks that make men lose their manliness. Oh, the horror! Given the complexity of the tasks demanded of this poor man, the reward for completing the chores are adequately enticing. From a naked hula dance to a 12-pack of beer, this chores chart isn't playing around when it comes to rewards.

This image—that's got my blood boiling with disgust—was posted to Reddit by user Wolf_Mommy who stated in a comment: Chore chart for a husband. I get that the spirit of this is humor, but it just makes me feel a little sick. It just doesn't feel right to offer up sexual intimacy for housework or child care. Could you imagine if this were a chore chart for a wife? It also perpetuates the myth of the Incompetent Dad. Men don't need a reward chore chart like this to participate in the routine of activities of daily living, do they?

Although this Reddit user is willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and has generously attempted to see some humor in it, nothing—and I repeat—absolutely nothing about this is funny. Aside from perpetuating stereotypical ideas of fatherhood, it propagates negative stereotypes of wives and reeks of internalized misogyny. For example, the reward for putting the toilet seat down, daddy gets a whole week of no nagging. Because, of course, women=nagging. Even worrying is the fact that this scenario seems to include children who will undoubtedly go on to pick up these oppressive gender roles and expectations from their parents.

Joke or no joke, some men seem to be in full favor of this chart. Redditor Stevo6456 commented: Okay, maybe it's just because I am male and lazy, but this seems like a really good idea. I am guilty of not doing the chores, I am also guilty of loving BJs, so I think if there is a way to get one by doing extra around the house, then I think it's a great idea, and clearly, the wife doesn't mind. After all, most of what we do is controlled by rewards, so hey, I won't judge this, it is perfectly fine with me.

On the other hand, Reddit user Jesster114 stood up for gender equality, writing: I don't think I'd be able to drink fast enough to keep up with the dishes reward. I constantly do the dishes, but just so the kitchen is clean. It helps keep my girlfriend and I happy. She doesn't like doing dishes and I find it kind of meditative. She picks up junk around the house which I am kind of oblivious to. We buy and do fun things together because they are fun to do, not because of some reward system. Perhaps, there's still hope for us.