Modern Aussie blokes can’t fix a leaky tap but can bake a cake!

MELBOURNE - A new survey has revealed that men are picking up new skills around the home as basic handyman tasks are outsourced.

A survey by McCrindle research found out that the modern Aussie bloke can’t fix a leaky tap or build a tree house but he’s more adept at baking a cake or changing nappies than ever before.

Instead of knowing how to tie a reef knot, or repair a punctured bike tyre, young Gen Y men are more capable at domestic chores such as cooking and doing the laundry.esearcher Mark McCrindle said the findings reflected the ‘change in family dynamics’.

“What we are seeing is not so much a decline in man skills but rather a change in family dynamics, reflecting that both parents are likely to have full time jobs and greater demands on their time than ever before,” News.com.au quoted him as saying.

“Even though skills such as woodworking and mechanics are on the decline, men are picking up new talents such as cooking, ironing and an increased role in bringing up the kids,” he added.

The advent of ‘kitchen TV’ seemed to have influenced the Aussie blokes, with over half of those surveyed saying men could now bake a cake or cook for a dinner party, McCrindle said.

The biggest man skills thought to be lost were tying a reef knot and building a tree house, with just over half of the 216 respondents believing men aged under 30 were less capable than their counterparts of 20 years ago.

Nearly half of respondents thought Gen Y men were less able to fix a leaky tap or repair a bike puncture and a third thought they couldn’t light a wood fire or put up a shelf.

But when it came to raising children and domestic chores, men were much more involved than previous generations.

More than a third believed men were far more adept at changing nappies these days, and three-quarters thought they helped more with cooking dinner, grocery shopping, helping to wash up and dropping the kids at school.

Two-thirds believed they helped more with clothes shopping, laundry and reading to the children than 20 years ago. (ANI)