Home Chore Management: Use This App to Efficiently Distribute Cleaning Tasks and Promote Equality at Home
The Accord app, a Swedish-developed application, is making waves in Europe by revolutionizing the way couples and families manage household chores. Launched in September 2024, Accord aims to reduce stress, minimize arguments, and promote harmony in households by making the division of labor transparent and equitable.
Key features of the Accord app include the ability for users to create groups (for couples or families) and add tasks to shared lists. As tasks are completed, the app tracks who did what and displays the division of household labor over time on a progress page. This transparency encourages families to organize their chores more fairly, thereby fostering more balanced shared responsibilities and reducing gender disparities.
Accord is available in multiple languages, including Swedish, English, Spanish, French, and German, making it accessible to a wide audience. The app addresses gender inequality in household chores, a significant source of tension and frustration in many relationships. By making chore distributions visible and manageable, Accord encourages families to work together more effectively.
The team behind Accord, consisting of three male students from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, developed the app as a means to tackle the broader European issue of gender inequality in unpaid domestic work. They believe that organizing chores more fairly can lead to happier relationships and better communication.
According to Lina-Marie Lundqvist, a special educator who uses Accord, the app has made a "big difference" in her household. She reports that it enables clear task distribution and reduces her need to be the initiator of chores. Despite working part-time and her partner working full-time, Lundqvist still does most of the chores, but she believes the app helps create a "team spirit" and makes her feel seen and supported.
In just ten months since its launch, Accord has gained more than 25,000 users in Europe. The gender gap in household chores has significantly decreased among Accord users, with women doing 60% less than men compared to the initial 79%-86% imbalance.
Fredrikson, one of the developers, explains that fairness in the home isn't only about time management, but also about energy management and balancing tasks that drain energy versus those that energize. By understanding and visualizing who is doing what, Accord encourages families to work together more effectively and fosters a sense of teamwork.
Accord functions as a checklist for households, allowing users to create groups, add tasks, and mark them off as they are completed. The app also includes an effort point system, allowing users to weigh tasks based on their difficulty and the energy required. This ensures that everyone's contributions are recognised and appreciated, further promoting a sense of fairness and equality.
In summary, Accord is positioned not just as a chore management tool but as a means to tackle the broader European issue of gender inequality in unpaid domestic work, enhancing cooperation and reducing household tension through better transparency and shared responsibility.
The Accord app, empowering couples and families, extends beyond household chore management, delving into the realm of home-and-garden, lifestyle, and technology. By fostering fairness and equality in task distribution, it aims to address gender disparities and improve relationships. The effort point system recognizes contributions, aligning with the vision of creating a harmonious home-and-garden lifestyle, powered by technology, that promotes balanced and energizing shared responsibilities.
