Are the Women Lazy

 

LAZY WOMEN?   The מחבר בשלחן ערוך (O.Ch. 437:4) writes “We can trust women, slaves, and children that the house was properly cleaned for Pesach". The reason for this is since בדיקת חמץ is only מדרבנן we may rely on them.    Had it been דאורייתא we would not have relied on them based on the ירושלמי that says נשים עצלניות הן (women are lazy) and therefore where it is time-consuming or difficult to do they take shortcuts and are not reliable.   The ערוך השלחן writes that women of today are more reliable than men*. They are more stringent and מדקדק in cleaning than men are.   We even find it in the (ראשונים (ר'מנוח,מאירי, ראביה that this does not apply to  women of today.   * The מ"ב writes לכתחילה we should not have women do Bedikas Chometz.