Desperate Housework? Study Reveals that Most Women Identify with Desperate Housewife ``Lynette'' When it Comes to the Division of Domestic Duties.

LOS ANGELES -- In time for the spring cleaning season, BizRate Research recently conducted a study for Shopzilla, the leading shopping search site, on the division of domestic duties among married couples or couples living together and found that women are desperately trying to keep-up with household chores and shopping.

Women Do More

In fact, when Shopzilla asked women which "Desperate Housewife" they most identified with, most women (77%) answered "Lynette Scavo," mother and harried housewife who has little time for cleaning but does what she can. Probably because an astounding 64% of female respondents report that they are solely responsible for the housework. The top three chores women say they are primarily in charge of are purchasing cleaning products (80%), doing the laundry (74%), and cooking (67%).

As for man's best friend, picking up after the pets was primarily taken care of by women (44%) while only 25% of the men were tending to their four-legged friends.

A mere 3% of men are the sole caretaker of their kids while 53% of women are the sole caretaker of their children. Couples with children tend to share (48%) the responsibility of child rearing.

Women Have Higher Expectations

Women have higher expectations when it comes to household cleanliness. More than half of men surveyed (51%) believe that their home was "tolerable" and 48% of women agreed, however, 17% of men think their home is spotless while only 8% of female respondents agree.

Women Are Not As Happy

Women are not as happy as men with this domestic arrangement. While 57% of men report that they are "very satisfied" with the division of household labor, only 37% of women report that they are "very satisfied."

How The Sexes Synch

Ironically, the perceived amount of time spent on housework per week was almost identical. Men reported 11.1 hours and women reported 11.7 hours spent on domestic duties.

"Women can transform their harried housewife lifestyle into a more rested way of life, with a little help from Shopzilla. By making the 'process' of some domestic chores easier, men may even help out more around the house," said Helen Malani, chief shopping expert, Shopzilla, Inc. "For instance, most cleaning products are still purchased from the supermarket when either partner could be at home, in comfort, saving themselves time and money by buying them online."

Shopping and comparing for cleaning products that make homes shine, sparkle or smell fresh and appliances and equipment to make a nice home-cooked meal can be easily attained on www.shopzilla.com, which has more than 30 million products from more than 50,000 stores. Search and compare for close to 3,500 microwaves and microwave/toaster combinations from more than 35 brands. Discover lotions, potions, solvents and solutions by ordering hundreds of cleaning products and having them delivered to your door without leaving the house. Also find almost 20,000 gadgets and cook's tools from French fry cutters to Japanese plastic apple corers.

About The Study:

The study, conducted by BizRate.com Research, a division of Shopzilla Inc., was based on a point-of-sale survey with a sample of 1,032 online buyers who are married or in a domestic partnership, from February 24-28, 2005.

About Shopzilla, Inc.:

Shopzilla, formerly BizRate.com, is the most powerful and easiest-to-use shopping search site on the Web. With an index of over 30 million products from more than 50,000 stores, Shopzilla uses ShopRank, a proprietary patent-pending algorithm, to help shoppers instantly find virtually anything on sale from anyone, anywhere on the Web at the best price. Shopzilla also features powerful comparison tools and BizRate consumer reviews of stores and products, the Web's largest and most trusted consumer feedback network. Every week Shopzilla prepares millions of shoppers to make smarter, more confident purchases and send them directly to the checkout page of thousands of online merchants. Shopzilla, Inc. also operates the BizRate consumer feedback network and powers shopping search for many of the Web's largest consumer sites including AOL, Lycos, Time Warner's RoadRunner, and many others. Founded in 1996, the Los Angeles-based company is profitable and privately held. For more information, visit www.shopzilla.com, the smarter way to shop.

FAST CLEAN FACTS:

The most used appliance by men is the microwave oven (91%)

The most used appliance by women is the conventional oven (91%)

58% of households spent $10-$40 a month on supplies to get the house
sparkly clean

60% of households have between 5-10 different cleaning products

65% of households buy cleaning supplies once a month or once every
2-3 months