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Role reversal in chaos: When Bernd overwhelms the household!
Learn how role reversal in families leads to new insights about gender roles. Topics discussed at the Berlin Colloquium on February 17, 2025.
Role reversal in chaos: When Bernd overwhelms the household!
The issue of balancing work and family life is more relevant than ever these days. An excellent example is the comedy “That little bit of housekeeping – it does its own thing, says my husband…”, which premiered in 2003. Director Karen Müller tells the story of Katrin Lackner, a qualified architect with organizational skills, who suggests a role swap to her husband Bernd after her patience breaks. While Katrin looks after the three children Alex, Nicki and Laura, Bernd struggles with the challenges that come with running the architectural office they founded together. ARD Mediathek has made the amusing plot the focus of its reporting.
What's going on in Ried? Katrin suggests that she take over the management of the architectural office while Bernd devotes himself to the household. Not entirely without risk, as Bernd is convinced that she cannot save the company and makes the budget appear “simple”. Meanwhile, the architectural firm is struggling with financial difficulties and is on the verge of bankruptcy. Bernd's chaotic household management and his inadequate fulfillment of his father's duties quickly lead to further problems.
A game with gender roles
The comedy deliberately addresses the tensions between gender roles and division of labor. According to a Berlin colloquium that took place on February 17, 2025, similar considerations are present in the everyday lives of many couples. Experts like Luisa Kunze point out that the unequal distribution of household work makes it difficult for women to participate in the labor market. Men tend to believe that the distribution is fair, while many women are unhappy with their actual situation. Bertelsmann Stiftung makes it clear that it is necessary to distribute housework differently in order to give women time for paid work.
In “The Little Household” the cast around Christine Neubauer (Katrin) and Axel Milberg (Bernd) impresses with wordplay and situational comedy. The chaotic events in the household that Bernd causes are not made any easier by the children. Katrin, on the other hand, manages to reorganize the architectural office and win back the important client Walter Ricken. Their ability to overcome the challenges becomes clear in an amusing setting.
Conclusion and findings
“The little bit of household” not only leads to hearty laughter, but also encourages reflection on existing gender roles and the compatibility of work and family. Karen Müller's work shows in a humorous way that in today's world a change of roles can be necessary in order to master the challenges of everyday life. Looking back, the question remains whether Bernd actually has everything under control in the household or whether the image he conveys only scratches the surface. We see that together we can find a successful balance between household and work.
Find out more about “The little bit of housekeeping – it does its own thing, says my husband…” [here](https://www. Fernsehenserien.de/filme/tausche-firma-gegen-finanz).