15% of British men so bad at DIY that can’t change a lightbulb
It’s not looking good for British men, as a new survey has revealed that most men have no idea to carry out basic DIY jobs around the home, and millions of men can’t even change a light bulb. You heard right – a light bulb!
The Daily Mail are reporting that the poll, conducted bt comcero.com and consisting of 3000 men 50 of under, found that most men in Britain cannot wire a plug, change a lightbulb or bleed a radiator, and resort to calling in a professional to help them. The highlights of the report are:
- 15% of men (2.1 million people) shy away from replacing a light bulb
- 26% would struggle rewiring a plug
- 16% would not be able to hang a picture up
- 14% would not be able to paint a wall
- 55% would be unable to install a kitchen
First things first, I can understand that some people are not any good at DIY, and it is understandable to hire a tradesmen to fit a kitchen or call a plumber to fix a leaking tap. But the fact that 15% of men cannot change a lightbulb and 14% cannot even paint a wall, is alarming, and that’s putting it nicely. It’s not hard to paint a wall, and there should be no need to call a tradesman for something so basic. Bal Mattu, who has behind the research, says:
“There was a time when you could rely on almost any man when it came to DIY jobs in the home.
‘But it seems to be a sign of the times that nowadays, even the most basic of jobs like changing a light bulb or replacing a fuse are too difficult for some men.”
What do you think of this research – do you agree with it?
Posted on November 12, 2010, in DIY, electrician, plumbing, train4tradeskills and tagged Daily Mail, DIY, lightbulb, train4tradeskills. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
This looks bad… and to say that Britishmen are among the cutest! :’(
Let’s not get carried away here with some perceived dearth of competence. The plain fact is that more men are entering professional career arenas that leave little time or energy to invest in ‘old fashioned’ manual skills. Indeed, many blokes (and I count myself here) simply don’t care for DIY, have no interest in it, and would rather pay someone skilled in that discipline to do the job properly first time. I certainly don’t feel ashamed of my total apathy regarding DIY and don’t see why anyone – of either gender, should. I believe the days of a man bolstering his self-esteem with a drill are, thank heavens, behind us.