Britain Paying For Domestic Bliss
THEY were once the exclusive preserve of the very wealthy and the aristocracy, but now it seems that even commoners, apparently too lazy to clean their own house, are hiring domestic staff.
A new survey from Barclays has revealed that one in ten households in the country employs some kind of domestic help with 82 per cent of those who use household staff hiring cleaners, followed by 30 per cent who employ gardeners, 17 per cent who hire nannies and 16 per cent who apparently get someone in to “do the ironing”. (Is “do the ironing” a euphemism for something else? Although a euphemism for what exactly, I have no idea.)
The main reason given for using outside help in running a household is, not surprisingly, a lack of time as long working hours minimise the amount of leisure time available.
Indeed, 70 per cent of the lazy sods who hire domestic staff claim they don’t have time to the housework while 36 per cent admit they simply want to do other things.
A spokesman for Barclays Premier Banking says: “Long gone are the ‘upstairs downstairs’ days of domestic staff which were the preserve of the nobility. In the 21st century we are all trying to cram as much into our lives as possible and will think nothing of taking on the help we need to do this.”
We’re turning into a nation of lazy overweight coach potatoes. Well, at least those of us not employed as ironers are…
Posted: 12th, June 2007 | In: Money Comments (4) | TrackBack | Permalink
