Couples may be better off living in a “traditional” household where women do all the housework if they want to stay together.
Norwegian researchers found that couples who share housework duties are more likely to divorce compared to those in a relationship where the woman does most of the chores. They found that the divorce rate among couples who shared domestic chores equally was around 50 percent higher than among those where the woman did most of the work.
“The more a man does in the home, the higher the divorce rate,” said Thomas Hansen, co-author of the study entitled “Equality in the Home”, according to AFP. While researchers found no or very little cause-and-effect, they believe that the association could be due to “modern” attitudes.
“Modern couples are just that, both in the way they divide up the chores and in their perception of marriage” as being less sacred, Hansen said, stressing it was all about values. “In these modern couples, women also have a high level of education and a well-paid job, which makes them less dependent on their spouse financially. They can manage much easier if they divorce,” he said.
Researchers say that sharing equal responsibility for domestic chores doesn’t necessarily contribute to contentment…
Read more: Christine Hsu, Medical Daily
