As our lives become busier with work and social engagements, the domestic household chores can sometimes fall by the wayside.

Recent statistics show that while women have assumed a greater role in the workforce over the past 20 years, the amount of time spent doing household work was the same in 2006 as it was in 1992 (33hours and 45minutes

a week).

Over the same period, men have taken on more household work. In 1992, the average time men spent on household work was one hour and 25minutes per week. In 2006, men spent 18hours and 20minutes a week doing household work.

Implementing a family chore chart can help divide the workload and keep everyone happy and organised.

Rotate chores for both inside and out regularly to keep things interesting for each family member .

If kids hesitate to help with chores, try setting up a reward point system whereby certain chores are worth five, 10 or 20 points, depending on the difficulty and time needed to complete the chore.

For example, making beds may be worth five points while doing the laundry may be worth 10. Once children have collected 50 points, a reward such as choosing a family movie or going to a friend's birthday party may be appropriate.

For older teenagers, a monetary reward system usually works best.