Archive · 5 Dec 2025
Latvia's Gender Imbalance Leads to Husband Rentals
In Latvia, there are many more women than men, especially as people get older.
This makes it hard for women to find partners.
So, some women are hiring handymen to help with things like fixing pipes or painting walls.
These handymen are called 'husbands for an hour.'
This is not just in Latvia; in the UK, a man named James is also rented out to help with household tasks.
Experts say that men in Latvia have shorter lives because more of them smoke and have health problems.
This makes the problem of finding partners even worse for women.
Latvia has 15.5% more women than men, over three times the EU average.
Among those aged 65 and above, there are twice as many women as men.
Women report a visible shortage of men in workplaces and daily life.
Services like Komanda24 and Remontdarbi.lv offer 'husbands for an hour' for household tasks.
Experts attribute the gender imbalance to men's lower life expectancy due to higher smoking rates and lifestyle-related health issues.
- Who
- Latvian women and handymen services
- What
- Renting temporary 'husbands' for household tasks
- When
- Ongoing due to persistent gender imbalance
- Where
- Latvia, with similar trends in the UK
- Why
- Significant gender imbalance and shortage of male partners
- Gender Imbalance
- 15.5% more women than men in Latvia
- Age Group Disparity
- Twice as many women as men aged 65+
- Smoking Rates
- 31% of Latvian men smoke vs. 10% of women
- Services Offered
- Handymen for household tasks, including plumbing and carpentry
- Similar Trend
- UK's 'Rent My Handy Husband' service