The question has sparked intense debate on Reddit, where users admitted they were completely stumped, even years after leaving school.

One user summed it up perfectly: “The last three questions on Edexcel always left me hopeless.”

A 2025 survey of UK students found that 85% experience exam anxiety, with one in four describing it as nearly unbearable during exams.

Lindsey Wright, Head of Maths Education at Tutors Valley, said: “Exams are designed to challenge students, but parents can make a real difference.

“Understanding how your child learns and providing one-to-one support gives them a safe space to make mistakes, ask questions, and build confidence.

“Research shows 71% of students do not seek any support at all, so this guidance is more important than ever.”

So can you solve this impossible question?

(Image: Tutors Valley)

This video explains how to solve it, and whether or not you found the correct solution.

Fewer than one in five people pass this IQ test, thought to be the shortest in the world at only three questions long.

The Cognitive Reflection Test has a pass rate of just 17 per cent, leaving the majority who attempt it boggled.

It was originally part of a research paper published in 2005 by MIT Professor Shane Frederick, and has recently resurfaced online with many people giving it a go.

As part of his research, Professor Frederick had more than 3,000 participants from a range of educational backgrounds complete the test, but even those attending top American universities such as Yale and Harvard struggled to work out all the answers.

Professor Frederick said: “The three items on the CRT are ‘easy’ in the sense that their solution is easily understood when explained, yet reaching the correct answer often requires the suppression of an erroneous answer that springs ‘impulsively’ to mind.”

So how will you get on?

What are the questions?

1. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

2. If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?

3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?

What are the answers?

These are the three most common answers that people guess, but they are actually incorrect:

1. 10 cents

2. 100 minutes

3. 24 days

Professor Frederick said: “Anyone who reflects upon it for even a moment would recognise that the difference between $1 and 10 cents is only 90 cents, not $1 as the problem stipulates.

“In this case, catching that error is tantamount to solving the problem, since nearly everyone who does not respond ‘10 cents’ does, in fact, give the correct response.”

The correct answers are:

1. Five cents

2. Five minutes

3. 47 days

Here are the answers explained

Presh Talwalkar, the author of The Hoy of Game Theory: An Introduction to Strategic Thinking, explained how to work out the correct answers for each of the three questions on his blog, Mind Your Decisions.

1. Say the ball costs X. Then the bat costs $1 more, so it is X + 1. So we have bat + ball = X + (X + 1) = 1.1 because together they cost $1.10. This means 2X + 1 = 1.1, then 2X = 0.1, so X = 0.05. This means the ball costs five cents and the bat costs $1.05

2. If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, then it takes one machine five minutes to make one widget (each machine is making a widget in five minutes). If we have 100 machines working together, then each can make a widget in five minutes. So there will be 100 widgets in five minutes.

3. Every day FORWARD the patch doubles in size. So every day BACKWARDS means the patch halves in size. So on day 47 the lake is half full.

Chilling chimp kills it in lean, mean flick that, thankfully, opts for practical costume and effects.

Think Cujo with a chimpanzee instead of a St Bernard dog and a pool in place of a car and you get Primate.

The latest horror from English director Johannes Roberts (The Strangers: Prey at Night, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City) sees a group of friends’ tropical vacation turning into a terrifying fight for survival when adopted chimp Ben (Miguel Torres Umba) contracts rabies.

Primate is one of the best animal attack flicks to come along in quite some time.

It’s short and simple but shines with its taut tension and gnarly kills.

Roberts bathes his film in vibrant visuals, including several close-ups of an increasingly stricken Ben, peaking with a twisted bedroom scene that sees Ben surrounded by devilish red lighting.

Some of the characters are throwaway fodder – Jess Alexander’s vapid Hannah and Benjamin Cheng’s object of affection Nick – but a nice bond is established between sisters Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) and Erin (Gia Hunter) and Ben.

Oscar winner Troy Kotsur also projects more with facial expressions and actions than many actors could with hundreds of lines of dialogue as Lucy and Erin’s deaf dad Adam.

The real revelation, though, is Umba who portrays Ben while wearing a practical suit; he’s every bit as convincing as a chimp than anything we’ve seen from motion-capture king Andy Serkis.

Practicality, thankfully, rules the day across the board, which leads to several memorable kills.

READ MORE: MOVIE REVIEW: We knock on the door of found-footage horror ‘House on Eden’

Ben shows no mercy as he punches, bites, scratches and tears his way through his stricken victims; bones break, flesh is ripped and blood spatters everywhere.

And rarely will an electronic soundboard evoke this much dread.

Yes, the lead group make a couple of dumb decisions, but they also show bursts of ingenuity amid a perfect pace that never misses a beat.

Primate is lean and mean with the most chilling chimp I’ve seen since the childhood nightmare fuel of 1991 TV mini-series Chimera (if you know, you know).

● Do you have a favourite animal attack horror flick?

Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any movie or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.

● Primate is showing in cinemas now.

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The Hawthorn, set on a Christy O’Connor Jnr course, features 114 rooms, signature restaurant The Skylark, and a full-service spa.

A luxurious new Irish 5-star golf hotel is scheduled to welcome guests in May 2026, spearheaded by the Connacht Hospitality Group as part of a broader €60 million development.

The Hawthorn by Galway Bay, situated within the grounds of the 18-hole Galway Bay Golf Course, features 114 rooms, a signature restaurant called The Skylark, and a comprehensive spa facility.

It marks the first five-star establishment to launch in Galway in over 20 years and aims to blend championship golf, holistic wellness and regional attractions.

With major events including the Open at Portrush and the Ryder Cup scheduled at Adare Manor in 2027, golf tourism across the island of Ireland serves as a significant economic contributor, generating over €700 million each year.

More than 220,000 international golfers arrive annually, with North American visitors, who typically spend three times more than standard tourists, representing the bulk of the market. The industry sustains 15,600 jobs, reports the Irish Mirror.

The May opening will realise a longstanding ambition of Irish Ryder Cup legend Christy O’Connor Jnr to establish the location as a world-class golf destination. The Galway-born former European Tour professional designed the original Galway Bay course that first welcomed players at the scenic site in 1993.

Targeting both domestic and international golfers, the golf hotel sits along the Wild Atlantic Way between north and south. The course has also received recent investment, including a complete bunker regeneration project.

Dean Montgomery, the venue’s director of golf, commented: “The golf course here has always had remarkable natural potential, and it is a privilege to be overseeing its next chapter. Our focus is on elevating the holistic golf experience whilst respecting Christy O’Connor Jnr’s original vision for the site.

“The course offers a compelling challenge for international visitors, and the opening of The Hawthorn will provide luxury-seekers with the perfect base to explore this wonderful destination.”

The Hawthorn also features The Oystercatcher Bar, serving Japanese cuisine alongside sweeping views across the championship course and Galway Bay.

Additional amenities include their own chocolatier at the Chocolate Nest, plus a Whiskey Room and Wine Cellar, tailored for curated tastings and private gatherings.

“As we approach our May opening, there is a real sense of excitement within the team as we prepare to welcome guests to this extraordinary destination,” said Hawthorn General Manager John Keating.

Prospective guests can reserve their stay now, with availability commencing from 15th May 2026.

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From brutal crackdowns on nationwide protests in January, to Israel and the United States’ recent strikes, Iran has been in the international spotlight for weeks. Reporting on Iran is challenging, both from inside the country and from outside. During periods of unrest and political turmoil, it becomes even harder and more restrictive.

Iran’s media landscape is divided between outlets closely affiliated with the state and those considered reformist. State-aligned outlets include organisations such as Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Tasnim, Fars News and Mehr News.

These conservative outlets often promote narratives that support Iran’s ruling clerical establishment. Their coverage frequently aligns with the views of hardline leaders such as the supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial strikes on February 28. Other state-affiliated outlets, including Mizan, which is linked to Iran’s judiciary, similarly publish coverage that portrays the Islamic Republic as the victim of foreign aggression in the current conflict.

There is also a smaller group of reformist publications, such as Shargh Daily, Ham-Mihan and Donya-e-Eqtesad, which tend to offer more analytical and critical coverage of political and economic issues in the country.

But reformist papers operate under constant pressure. During the height of the protests in early January, Iranian authorities imposed a severe internet shutdown and communications blackout. Many domestic news outlets became inaccessible online. A small number of hardline outlets, such as Fars and Tasnim, continued to distribute information through Telegram channels.

For more than two weeks, much of the information emerging from Iran downplayed the scale of the government’s crackdown on protesters. Instead, official narratives emphasised alleged foreign interference, blaming the unrest on the US and Israel.

Reformist outlets that challenge this narrative often face retaliation. Journalists are frequently arrested and newspapers are suspended or closed. The authorities shut down Ham-Mihan in January 2026 after its editor-in-chief published an opinion piece reflecting on the current political unrest and the 1979 revolution that ended the monarchy.

These restrictions mean that state-aligned media outlets often dominate the narrative out of Iran, shaping how events inside the country are presented to the outside world.

Challenges for international media

International media organisations face a different but equally complex set of obstacles. Foreign journalists have a limited presence inside Iran, largely because of the risks involved.

Several reporters working for major outlets such as The Washington Post and The New York Times have been detained by Iranian authorities in the past, creating a climate of caution among international news organisations.

As a result, only a small number of outlets maintain reporters in the country. Organisations such as the Financial Times and Al Jazeera have limited representation on the ground, while many others operate regional bureaus in Turkey or the United Arab Emirates. Agencies such as Reuters, Bloomberg, CNN and CNBC often rely on these regional hubs, while others report on Iran from Europe or North America.

Even from outside, gathering reliable information remains difficult. Many sources inside Iran are afraid to speak with foreign media, as authorities routinely intimidate or arrest individuals who communicate with international journalists. Government officials are also reluctant to speak with foreign reporters.

Internet shutdowns during protests and wartime further complicate reporting. With communications frequently restricted, journalists must rely on information from human rights organisations, activist networks and official social media accounts.

Diaspora media organisations, which operate outside Iran but broadcast and publish in Persian, play a crucial role in filling some of the gaps in information. These outlets reach audiences both inside and outside the country. Examples include Iran International, BBC Persian, IranWire, Manoto and Voice of America. Though Voice of America was defunded and taken down by the Trump administration, its Persian-speaking news is still operating and providing news from the US to the public. However, it has been accused by some of its staffers of censoring coverage of Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, who has emerged as the leading opposition figure during the latest uprising.

Pahlavi frequently appears on other disapora outlets, which provide a platform for opposition voices that rarely appear in Iran’s domestic media unless to be discredited.

Because they maintain extensive networks of sources inside Iran, diaspora outlets are often among the first to receive videos, images and eyewitness accounts of protests or military activity. After verification, this material is frequently used by international media organisations such as The New York Times, CNN and BBC World.

They also report more on the nuances that may be less obvious to foreign journalists, such as how Iranians feel about the war or the death of the supreme leader. While international outlets focused on those mourning the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the reality is that many ordinary Iranians were celebrating.

À lire aussi :
Mourning, celebration and a divided legacy: why the death of Ali Khamenei reverberates far beyond Iran

Whether working for reformist newspapers inside Iran, international news organisations abroad or diaspora media outlets, journalists covering the country face extraordinary pressures. Many are subjected to hacking attempts, online harassment and, in some cases, physical threats. The work is emotionally demanding, particularly for Iranian journalists who are reporting on events impacting their own country, communities and families.

Drivers are being urged not to panic buy fuel

The cheapest spots for petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland have been revealed amid price rises exacerbated by conflict in the Middle East. The Consumer Council’s Fuel Price Checker, which is updated every Thursday, shows the latest impact this is having here.

It comes as Israel and the US launched attacks on the Iranian capital and other parts of the country last weekend, with Iran retaliating against US personnel across the Middle East.

This week, the average price of petrol in Northern Ireland is 126.2p, up from 124.8p last week. For diesel, prices have increased from 132.6p last week to 133.8p this week.

READ MORE: Northern Ireland average home heating oil price rises 80% in a weekREAD MORE: Firmus energy announces price reduction in Ten Towns from April

However, prices vary depending on where you are across the region. Lisburn is currently the cheapest spot to fill up on petrol, with prices 2.9p below the regional price at 123.2p per litre.

Magherafelt is currently the most expensive place for petrol this week, with prices 3.4p above the Northern Ireland average at 129.6p.

For diesel, Dungannon is the cheapest area to fill up your tank this week, with prices 3.9p below the regional average at 129.9p per litre. The most expensive spot for diesel this week is Strabane, where prices are 6.6p above average at 140.4p per litre.

Motorists are being urged not to panic buy fuel amid price rises. Luke Bosdet, spokesman for the AA, said: Pump prices are heading up – wholesale costs had been increasing even before the weekend’s strikes on Iran.

“However, pump averages today are still below where they started the year and petrol is almost 6.5p a litre cheaper than this time last year. That makes a tank of petrol more than £3.50 cheaper than in early March 2025.

“The fuel trade has reported some increased demand, which was expected, but drivers in general are heeding advice to stick to their usual refuelling routines. There’s no point wasting time, fuel and money queuing when drivers don’t need to.”

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the impact of oil price rises should not be felt for at least a week.

Mr Williams said: “We really shouldn’t see a shock jump in prices at the pumps as wholesale fuel costs had only been rising gradually in recent weeks.

“Even though the price of dated Brent crude rose by five dollars a barrel yesterday to 78 dollars, the impact of this shouldn’t be felt for over a week.”

He encouraged retailers not to increase the price of fuel which is already in forecourt tanks.

“Knowing the tendency for price increases to be passed on far more quickly than cuts, on behalf of drivers we urge retailers not to put up the price of fuel they’ve already got in forecourt tanks and reflect any increases in wholesale fuel fairly on the forecourt,” Mr Williams said.

Gordon Balmer, executive director of the Petrol Retailers Association, said pump prices will “have to go up” amid the ongoing conflict.

“The conflict in the Middle East has increased the wholesale cost of petrol and diesel, which will mean pump prices will have to go up,” he said.

“Rising fuel prices hurt the economy in the form of higher inflation, impacting already hard-pressed household budgets.”

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Marie Collins, 84, from Narborough has received no state pension payments since November after health issues left her unable to fly home from Cyprus

An 84-year-old woman says she has been left “abandoned” and driven to depression after her state pension payments stopped without warning whilst she was recovering from surgery abroad. Marie Collins, who lives in Narborough, Leicestershire, has not received any pension payments since the beginning of November.

She is currently stranded in Cyprus after a fortnight’s holiday back in September turned into months overseas as health complications meant she was issued with a no-fly order by doctors. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been repeatedly contacted by Marie, her niece, and even the British Consulate in Cyprus, yet her payments remain suspended.

“I have not had a penny for nearly four and a half months,” she said. “I’ve got no savings. What am I supposed to live on?” Marie was admitted to hospital with a severe chest infection.

Subsequently, she had a fall and has since undergone physiotherapy, but still has limited use of her hand and “no pressure” in her fingers, leaving her unable to write properly.

Doctors provided letters confirming she was not fit to fly, and both local and specialist medical evidence was sent to the DWP, she said. Despite this, her pension payments stopped at the start of November, reports Leicestershire Live.

Marie says she spent “weeks and weeks” trying to contact its offices by phone, often waiting on hold for hours before being cut off. “Every time I got through to someone different, it felt like they hadn’t read any of the notes,” she said.

“They just kept sending me round in circles.”

With her health deteriorating, Marie asked her niece in Yorkshire to intervene on her behalf. She was told the department could not speak to her niece without power of attorney.

Marie arranged the paperwork for this to be done and sent it by recorded delivery in early January. Tracking confirmed it had arrived, but her niece was later told the department had no record of it and still could not discuss the case.

At one point, Marie said she was unable to make international calls after running out of mobile credit, leaving WhatsApp as her only means of communication. “I could not make calls, I could not receive calls, I could not send texts. I was completely stuck,” she said.

In mid-January, following intervention from the British Consulate in Cyprus, Marie was told she needed to complete a new 12-page state pension form. She was informed that once received, her payments would be reinstated.

Due to her hand injury, Marie struggled to fill in the paperwork and sign it. “I could not write. I had to get help to fill it in. I tried to hold the pen with two hands just to do a signature,” she said.

The completed form was sent on January 23 and tracked as delivered six days later. However, as of early March, no payments have resumed.

Marie says her financial worries have had an effect on her health. When she arrived in Cyprus in September, she weighed nine and a half stone.

She now weighs seven stone. “I am hardly eating. I am in a deep depression,” she said.

Friends in Cyprus have helped her with food and accommodation. Before travelling, Marie had put her home on the market following the death of her long-term companion, who was also elderly and “severely disabled”.

She explained the house was too large for her to manage on her own and she had planned to downsize. On the advice of her estate agent, the property was emptied to facilitate viewings, but it has not sold.

Marie now says she has nowhere permanent to return to in the UK.

Still under medical care and awaiting clearance to fly, Marie fears further delays could leave her stranded if travel becomes disrupted.

“I am not worried about Cyprus,” she said. “I am worried about when they (DWP) are going to start paying me. I am a UK national. I feel totally abandoned.”

The DWP has been asked for comment.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was reportedly preparing to travel to Bahrain or Abu Dhabi when arrested in February following a tip-off to a senior courtier. He has been released under investigation and denies any wrongdoing.

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Disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was reportedly “getting his passport ready” to flee Britain for the Middle East when he was arrested, reports suggest.

It’s claimed Andrew, who was stripped of royal titles and honours last year, was preparing to decamp to either Bahrain or Abu Dhabi in a bid to reinvent himself, The Mirror reports.

The 66 year old has since been released under investigation but, with bombs and missiles raining down across the region daily, any remaining hopes of reinventing himself amongst the Arab elite appear scuppered. Now, Donald Trump is believed to be primed for his “big one” offensive on Iran as the conflict there escalates.

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Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson maintains her own connections in the Middle East and she, alongside Andrew, was evicted from the Royal Lodge last year. A source revealed: “There is no way any of them are going to go to the Gulf and Middle East region for a long time to come. It is far too dangerous for them, just as it is for everybody else.”

The development marks another setback for the father-of-two, who this week reportedly feels it is “deeply unfair that people have turned on him” following the Jeffrey Epstein files controversy. The ex-duke, a former helicopter pilot with the Royal Navy, categorically refutes all allegations of misconduct.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a British diplomatic source with previous connections to the Yorks in the Gulf region observed: “It’s inconceivable that they’ll be visiting the region now, certainly not while the war is going on and it could, of course, be an indefinite war.”

Andrew had consistently identified the Middle East – home to billionaire sheikhs and emirs – as a potentially profitable avenue for generating income, both personally and for his wider network.

His relationship with Abu Dhabi’s ruling dynasty stretches back to his days at Gordonstoun, the prestigious Scottish boarding school, where he befriended Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, currently the UAE president and referred to by Andrew as MBZ. His dynasty ranks amongst the wealthiest globally, commanding an estimated £225 billion fortune.

Their assets include substantial London real estate holdings and majority ownership of Manchester City Football Club.

These associations became especially advantageous in 2001 when, following his departure from the Royal Navy, he secured the position of UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment – a post detractors suggest he subsequently exploited for personal financial gain. Andrew refutes any impropriety.

Officers are appealing for information following the attempted robbery in Cliffe, east of Selby, on Monday (March 2).

North Yorkshire Police said five men in two silver vehicles – a pick-up truck and a van – attempted to steal a Revvi e-bike from the children at about 6.15pm at the junction between Main Street, Hull Road and Turnham Lane.

“The victims were unharmed, but understandably very frightened,” a force spokesperson said.

North Yorkshire Police said its suspects are described as white men aged in their 20s to 30s.

The force said police are carrying out door-to-door and CCTV inquiries, urging anyone with information to report it.

“We’re particularly appealing for information about any person who may have seen the two vehicles, or witnessed the incident itself,” the police spokesperson said.

Those with information are asked to email emily.blackwell@northyorkshire.police.uk or phone 101 and ask for PC 620 Emily Blackwell.

Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via its website.

Quote reference 12260038278 when passing information to the police or to Crimestoppers.

Latest cabin bag rules for airlines including Jet2, easyJet, TUI, and British Airways after Ryanair made a change to its policy earlier this year

Budget airlines are an excellent way to see the world for less, but one thing that can catch you out when boarding is cabin baggage allowances. At peak times, it’s common to see the dreaded bag sizer coming out as you board, and just a couple of extra centimetres can end up seeing you slapped with a hefty fee.

Annoyingly, cabin bag size allowances vary a lot between airlines and seemingly change all the time too, so even frequent fliers can get caught out. That’s why it’s important to check the airline’s official website before you fly to ensure you aren’t caught out at the boarding gate.

It’s much cheaper to buy extra baggage in advance when you’re booking your ticket, rather than paying for excess weight at the airport, so make sure you’re realistic about what you’ll be packing.

We take a look at airlines’ individual policies below…

Ryanair

Anyone flying on the budget airline should make sure they measure their luggage before they head to the airport.

Recently, Ryanair offered some good news for passengers; the free underseat bag that is included in its most basic fare level is now allowed to be slightly larger. Previously, it had to be 40 x 25 x 20 cm, but since summer 2025 Ryanair now allows bags of up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm. This item can be a handbag, backpack, laptop bag, or other item as long as it fits within the dimensions as it goes under the seat in front of you.

While these small bags don’t technically have a weight limit, passengers will need to be able to carry and handle them, and excessively heavy items might be noticed by the flight crew.

For an additional fee, passengers can also bring a second cabin bag of up to 55 x 40 x 20cm onboard with them of up to 10KG in weight. This will need to be lifted into the overhead locker. Checked bags can also be added of 10, 20, or 23KG, with prices varying depending on route and availability. Checked baggage needs to be under 80 X 120 X 120cm in size per item.

EasyJet

EasyJet also tends to strictly monitor onboard bag sizes, and places orange bag sizers around the airport so you can check your luggage will fit. However, it’s still important to measure at home in case you need to repack. Ticket prices on easyJet include one small underseat cabin bag of up to 45 x 36 x 20 cm in size and 15KG in weight.

Customers can also add a second cabin bag of 56 x 45 x 25 cm maximum, including handles and wheels for a fee, although this cost does also include speedy boarding. Passengers can also pay for up to three checked bags of 15, 23, or 32KG, and these must have a maximum total size under 275cm when you add the length, width, and height. Some easyJet flights offer twilight drop-offs so you can check your luggage the night before an early flight.

Jet2

Jet2 offers the same cabin baggage allowance for package holiday and flight only customers: a small bag of 40 x 30 x 20cm, which must fit under the seat, and a 10KG piece of hand luggage of up to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. Package holiday customers with Jet2 also get 22KG of checked baggage included in the flight, while flight-only customers can add this option for an additional fee. Passengers can buy up to three checked bags of up to 22KG if they don’t like to pack light.

British Airways

British Airways (BA) is a little more complicated as it has many different ticket types. You can use its baggage calculator to find your precise allowance. Those flying on a basic economy fare usually get a small bag and a cabin bag included in the price. The smaller bag can be up to 40 x 30 x 15cm and its guaranteed this will be allowed onboard with you. The cabin bag can be up to 56 x 45 x 25cm, but if overhead locker space runs out, it may need to go into the hold. Make sure your essentials for the flight and passport are in your smaller bag.

Checked bags also vary depending on route and class. Economy with checked bag fares include a 23KG piece of hold luggage up to 90 x 75 x 43cm, and business and first class passengers get much bigger allowances.

TUI

Flight-only passengers with TUI get a 10KG piece of hand luggage included in the price of up to 55 x 40 x 20 cm, plus a small personal item like a laptop bag or handbag of up to 40 x 30 x 20cm TUI emphasises that passengers must be able to lift their hand luggage into overhead storage compartments themselves.

Checked bags can be bought while booking the flight, and those booking package holidays with TUI that fly with its airline get 20KG of checked baggage included. TUI BLUE and cruise customers can get 25KG allowances, so its worth checking your booking confirmation to see if you get this perk.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Couples often disagree about who does more housework. Part of that disagreement reflects real differences in behaviour. But part of it is perception: what each person notices, remembers and counts as “work”.

That same problem turns out to influence the research that feeds headlines about gender equality at home. Many household surveys ask just one person to report how much housework both partners do. My research shows that this seemingly minor design choice – whether the husband or the wife in a heterosexual couple answers – can fundamentally change what the data appears to say about money, gender and chores.

For decades, researchers have tried to understand how couples divide housework when both partners earn money. Two broad explanations dominate the debate.

One focuses on economics. Exchange and bargaining theories predict that the higher earner does less unpaid work at home, because their time has a higher opportunity cost and more negotiating power. From this perspective, as women’s earnings rise, their share of housework should fall, while men’s should rise.

The other explanation emphasises gender norms. Sociologists have argued that when couples depart from the traditional male-breadwinner model – especially when wives earn more than their husbands – they may “do gender” at home to compensate. In this view, women may end up doing more housework, and men less, to symbolically reassert traditional roles.

The evidence has been mixed. Some studies support bargaining. Others find patterns consistent with “doing gender”. One reason for this discrepancy may lie not in how couples behave, but in how their behaviour is measured.

To explore this, I analysed 24 years of data (1999-2023) from the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics – a nationally representative longitudinal survey of US families run by the University of Michigan and funded primarily by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

I focused on married, dual-earner heterosexual couples, the group most often studied in research on housework and income. The survey repeatedly interviews households and asks how many hours per week each spouse spends cooking, cleaning and doing other work around the house.

In each wave, one person answers on behalf of the household. Sometimes it is the wife, sometimes the husband. This creates a valuable opportunity. Because the survey follows the same couples for years, we can compare households to themselves and ask a simple question: what changes when the respondent changes?

Who answers changes the story

Previous research has long shown that husbands and wives report housework differently, and the same pattern appears in my research. When husbands answer surveys, they tend to report a more equal division of labour than wives do, crediting themselves with a larger share of household work and reporting slightly fewer hours for their partners. Even before income enters the picture, who answers the survey shapes what “sharing the load” appears to look like.

The more revealing differences emerge once income is taken into account. When wives are the respondents, the relationship between earnings and housework looks like economic bargaining: as wives’ share of household income rises, they report doing less housework and their husbands doing more, in a largely linear way.

When husbands are the respondents, the same households tell a different story. Their reports show a non-linear pattern: husbands report increasing their own housework as their wives’ earnings approach parity. They then report doing less once wives earn more than they do, while reporting higher housework hours for their wives. This pattern is consistent with what sociologists call gender deviance neutralisation, where departures from the male-breadwinner norm are symbolically offset at home.

The crucial point is not that one theory is right and the other wrong. It is that the same couples can appear to support competing explanations depending on who answers the survey.

The results do not reveal the “true” number of hours someone spent cleaning in a given week. Instead, they reveal something more fundamental about the evidence base: reported housework is filtered through gendered perceptions and self-presentation, especially in situations that challenge traditional expectations, such as near equal or reversed earnings.

Housework is not just a set of tasks. It is a socially loaded activity tied to ideas about fairness, competence and identity. When people report on it, they are likely not just simply recalling time, they are also telling a story about how their household works.

Housework statistics are widely used to judge whether societies are becoming more equal, and to evaluate policies affecting dual-earner families. If researchers pool responses without treating respondent identity as central, they risk averaging away meaningful differences and drawing muted – or misleading – conclusions.

In the end, the question is not only who does the chores. It is also who gets to describe them – and how much our conclusions depend on that storyteller.