CLEANING THE HOME : Majority of Women Find There’s Still a Broom at the Top

Women may wield more power in the 1990s, but in Southern California most are still holding the mop.

Whether single or married, working or not, women in the six-county region told Times pollsters that three-fourths of them are still responsible for pushing the vacuum and scouring the shower. About 14% said they hired outside help and the rest said the housework is usually done by another family member.

While two-thirds of single men said they did the cleaning, about one-fourth of married men surveyed--both working and not--said they usually handled the household chores. As with women, the 14% figure for paid outside help held constant for both male groups.

Anglos (19%) are about twice as likely to pay outside help to clean their homes as Asians (10%) or blacks (9%), and more than three times as likely as Latinos (6%).

And yes, far more rich folks hire house cleaners than people with lower or middle incomes: 36% of respondents who said they earn more than $60,000 yearly pay someone to clean their homes, while 6% of those who earn less than $20,000 and 10% of those in the $20,000-$60,000 income bracket do so.