Sexisim from a 6 year old?

[arcenciel]

My husband was away this week and he usually cleans out the cat's litter tray. When my 6 year old did it (without asking!) I thanked him and said it was really nice for me not to have to do it. And then he said, " That's OK, I didn't really think it was a woman's job anyway".

I grew up with one brother, and although my Mum did most of the cooking and cleaning, we were never brought up with the feeling that there was women's work and men's work. My brother does all the cooking in his relationship. Before we had kids my husband and I shared the household work fairly equally. Then gradually I took on more and more. Now I am at home full-time, though I've recently started working from home, but my husband has a long commute and I don't want him to have to do housework in the evening or weekends so I pretty much do all the "women's" jobs and he takes out the garbage, cleans out the cat-litter, etc.

I really don't want my kids to grow up with that view of life though I see it as a big risk as I have 2 boys 4 and 6 and one girl 1 - who already gets looked after and treated well by her big brothers.

How do you handle it?

[2tadpoles]

I'd like to hear other perspectives on this, too. My 9yo has made some sexist comments, and I don't know where he gets his ideas. Our house is fairly gender-neutral when it comes to chores, and my 12yo ds has never had these notions about women's jobs and men's jobs.

I mean, I clean the cat-box and the toilets and such, but that's because my dh just refuses to do it. It's not that it's "women's work." My dh cuts the grass and refuses to let me do it because he says I do a terrible job (I just really don't care about pretty lines in the lawn and such). But I do raking and stuff, so it's not like the yard is "men's work," either.

I know more about cooking, and he knows more about cars. But my boys know dads who cook, and women who are into cars.

I dunno.