LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 2, 2004--
Survey Finds 75 Percent of Women Keep Men Out of the Laundry Room Because They Don't Trust Anyone With The Chore It seems the debate in the American home today isn't who wears the pants, but who's allowed to wash them. Eighty-five percent of women are still responsible for doing the laundry across America, according to the results of a national consumer survey released today by GE Consumer & Industrial. But it turns out that men aren't the ones to blame! The study showed that by far, most respondents not doing laundry are simply not allowed. Of those not allowed, a whopping 95 percent are men.
To address the expanding laundry divide and to help restore harmony in the home, GE is once again declaring August National Men Do Laundry Month. This year, the men are striking back and helping GE raise national awareness of how Americans can better manage the chore.
With this declaration, men are encouraged to raise their laundry baskets and their Laundry IQ and challenge women to step aside as men take on the load.
Last year, we discovered that it was the women who were doing the laundry, and we encouraged them to throw down their baskets, share the chore and create household harmony, said Cynthia Fanning, Marketing Manager - Clothes Care, GE Consumer & Industrial. One year later, the laundry divide is still there. But we have uncovered that it might not be the men who are to blame. According to this year's survey, almost 75 percent of the women surveyed chose to do the laundry because they just don't trust anyone else with their clothes. And we also found that men are willing and able to share the chore.
The second annual consumer survey also found that while 23 percent of women felt their partners have little or no knowledge about laundry procedures, 94 percent of these women felt that they could easily pass a Laundry IQ test. And despite doubts from their partners, 86 percent of men were confident that they could pass the test.
Confidence and gender aside, based on last year's survey results many Americans could still use a crash course in Laundry Education. Three quick helpful tips include: read labels carefully, take clothes out of the dryer while they are still slightly damp to reduce the need for ironing, and add detergent into the washer before inserting the clothes. GE also offers additional laundry room help in the form of its GE Profile Harmony(TM) Clothes Care System
-- the first washer that communicates electronically with the dryer, presetting dry cycles for better clothes care and increased time savings.
Our second annual National Men Do Laundry Month was created to help Americans conquer the laundry divide and better manage their laundry habits, said Fanning. Whether it's a man or woman taking on the chore, our Harmony Clothes Care System continues to offer a simple solution for laundry pros and amateurs across the country.
To raise additional national awareness of laundry literacy and to help men and women to take equal responsibility for this vital chore, GE Consumer & Industrial has partnered with the cities of Los Angeles, CA and Louisville, KY to declare August as National Men Do Laundry Month. Throughout the month GE will provide consumers with useful laundry tips, a laundry IQ test and a new view on the battle of the sexes in the laundry room.
For more information about the GE Profile Harmony Clothes Care System, visit www.geharmony.com.
About GE Consumer & Industrial
GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliance, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE) brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram, Profile, GE, Hotpoint, SmartWater and Reveal consumer brands, and Entellisys industrial brand. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.
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CONTACT: GE Consumer & Industrial
Leslie Redford, 502-452-7184