Weaponized incompetence is a phenomenon when someone knowingly or unknowingly demonstrates an inability to perform certain tasks, thereby forcing others to take on more responsibilities. It generally occurs in two domains—at work, between colleagues, or at home, between partners.
This time, we're going to focus on the latter. Whether it's doing the dishes, folding the laundry, or taking out the trash, you can find plenty of women online who are sharing everyday situations that leave them picking up the slack. Brace yourself—these examples can be more infuriating than funny, especially if you're all too familiar with being the household "default."
#1 My Husband Is Incapable Of Putting The Toilet Paper On The Holder
Well I guess it technically is on the holder. Going on 13 years together, one of those things that's not annoying enough to make a big deal about but always makes me go "really?" every time I walk into the bathroom and see it.
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43points
#2 This Is Not What I Sent My Husband To The Store For
Sent my husband to the store for paper towels and a few other items. Comes back with pie and only pie. I ain’t too mad about it, because yeah, I’m gonna eat some pie, but it sure would be nice to have some paper towels to wipe my mouth with afterwards.
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39points
These behaviors are often part of a bigger picture in heterosexual relationships showing that women still do a majority of household tasks and child care, even in dual-income households.
“What we found in our research is that the time that men spent on household tasks was unresponsive to the wage ratio between him and his female partner,” says Corinne Low, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and the author of Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours. “For example, wives who are the primary breadwinners do almost twice as much cooking and cleaning as their husbands.”
#3 My Friend's Boyfriend, Driving And Playing Pokemon Go. Almost Hit A Dude In The Intersection
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38points
#4 The Way My Husband Put Away The Birthday Cake
He is mad that I’m upset.
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36points
The inherent unfairness of the relationship and the extra work of running a household — figuring out the family’s needs, finding the best way to meet them, and even acting as a social secretary — can take a serious toll on a woman’s mental health, well-being, and career.
Some of the phrases that are used to keep this imbalance going include:
- “I’m not good at that.”
- “You do this task better than I can.”
- “I know how to do this, but it takes forever. You can do it quicker.”
- “I never get it right.”
- “I know you enjoy doing X.”
#6 Perfectly Acceptable Dinner Rejected By Boyfriend Again
My boyfriend is a very picky eater. We have been living together for a few months, and it seems like I can never get his food right. It's honestly discouraging.
I have kids, and they happily eat my food. I cook for family gatherings and church events. I've never had a problem with people eating my food. It's like every day there are new rules. He can't eat chicken for dinner because he had chicken for lunch. He isn't really in the mood for porkchops. It's just "missing something". He doesn't eat onions, tomatoes, fish, any kind of asian food, he doesn't eat most vegetables with the exception of broccoli. He only eats vanilla ice cream.
He doesn't like food heated in the microwave (so leftovers are out.) He doesn't like corn. It's just endless. I'm old school and trying to be a good partner. He can't really cook at all. His favorite meal is Hamburger Helper. I think a lot of it is how he grew up, but dang, it's frustrating.
The first picture is tonight's dinner. I added more pictures of stuff I have cooked that he won't eat. Like he will DoorDash Jack in the Box. He'll be apologetic, but it's just sad.
I have kids, and they happily eat my food. I cook for family gatherings and church events. I've never had a problem with people eating my food. It's like every day there are new rules. He can't eat chicken for dinner because he had chicken for lunch. He isn't really in the mood for porkchops. It's just "missing something". He doesn't eat onions, tomatoes, fish, any kind of asian food, he doesn't eat most vegetables with the exception of broccoli. He only eats vanilla ice cream.
He doesn't like food heated in the microwave (so leftovers are out.) He doesn't like corn. It's just endless. I'm old school and trying to be a good partner. He can't really cook at all. His favorite meal is Hamburger Helper. I think a lot of it is how he grew up, but dang, it's frustrating.
The first picture is tonight's dinner. I added more pictures of stuff I have cooked that he won't eat. Like he will DoorDash Jack in the Box. He'll be apologetic, but it's just sad.
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36points
#7 Gone For Two Weeks. My Husband Piled His Clothes By The Washer Instead Of Doing His Own Laundry
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35points
#9 Asked My Husband To Hang The Clothes
Apparently there was no more space in the rack and everything else were "small items" (kids tshirts, socks and shorts) needless to say, nothing at the top got dry.
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33points
The media doesn't help, either. Research from the Geena Davis Institute, which analyzed 225 scripted TV shows from 2013 to 2020, discovered that men are still portrayed as nearly twice as likely as women to be incompetent, echoing the familiar “apprentice dad” trope.
#10 I Asked My Boyfriend To Put Groceries Away While I Ran One Last Errand And I Came Back To This
He left all the plastic bags on the floor and on the counter and didn't take care of any pantry items. All this in the midst of throwing a fit because I asked for his help when he wanted to sleep.
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33points
#11 This Is How Many Dishes It Took My Boyfriend To Make A Bowl Of Oatmeal
Is this normal? I usually use, like, one bowl and microwave it. Then he left them in the sink for two days.
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33points
#12 My Boyfriend Never Finishes A Toothpaste Tube Before Opening A New One
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33points
#13 The Amount Of Milk My Husband Left So He Wouldn't Have To Throw Away The Jug
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31points
#14 The Sink Was 3 Feet Away From The Fridge, But Sure. Label Them As Needing To Be Dumped Instead
For the record, my baby is weaning off formula onto whole milk so no breastmilk was harmed in this process.
Started packing up the diaper bag this morning and went to go grab the bottles. Behind today’s bottles were too older bottles with about 1.5oz each. They were both of an unknown date so my husband labeled them as “Dump” to indicate they needed to be thrown away.
The sink was 3 feet from where he was standing. He could have just dumped them. Instead, he went through the process of finding labels and marking them.
Started packing up the diaper bag this morning and went to go grab the bottles. Behind today’s bottles were too older bottles with about 1.5oz each. They were both of an unknown date so my husband labeled them as “Dump” to indicate they needed to be thrown away.
The sink was 3 feet from where he was standing. He could have just dumped them. Instead, he went through the process of finding labels and marking them.
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29points
#15 Where My Husband Dumps His Dirty Clothes vs. Where The Laundry Basket Is
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28points
#17 How My Husband Leaves The Fuel Tank
My husband has been driving my car for the past week. He ALWAYS drives until the fuel tank is incredibly low. And yes, we’ve had to call AAA because we’ve run out of gas on the interstate on family trips.
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27points
#19 Husband Sent Me This Photo Because I Had A Ferrero From The Box Our Neighbors Gifted Us. The Box Was Empty When I Got Back
My husband sent me a text with this photo pointing out the missing chocolate. I admited to having eaten it. My husband felt I had one too many and so I came home to find an empty box.
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26points
#20 Asked My Husband To Pick Up A Christmas Tree
I've learned I have to be super specific when I ask him to do things. I always forget! Love him and all of his imperfections.
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26points