Woman's work
Sir: May I try to answer some of Nick Gilbert's questions ('I/our money or your wife', 20 March) without defending insur- ance companies?
I have two children under six and no paid employment outside the home. He asks: 'Does it really take nine hours a week to put the washing in the machine and iron what comes out?' No — it takes about seven and a half hours: one load of general washing every day of the week; five minutes to sort and load; ten minutes to unload and peg out; five minutes to unpeg; 30 minutes to iron; and ten minutes to sort and put away. Plus at least one unforeseen wash per week of bedding, for a variety of easily imaginable reasons.
He also asks: 'Does anybody out there know a real mother prepared to say it takes her less time to look after three children than one?' First, this is a fairly obvious application of Parkinson's law. Second, you get better at it. I imagine an apprentice far- '1 must admit I'm tempted by the absence of any special offers. . rier might take longer to shoe one horse than it would take his master to shoe three.
Theodora Simons
11 Rue de la Glaciere, 34300 Agde, France
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