Could sharing housework lead to divorce?

A new study on work-life balance yielded some puzzling results. Although couples seem to be happier when housework is divided equally, research showed that couples divorce with greater frequency when they are splitting up the housework. The divorce rate was compared to households in which the wife did significantly more housework.

These findings seem to be in direct contradiction with previous studies on greater work-life balance leading to richer sex lives. Couples in California may be curious to learn more about the recent study, and may wish to apply the results to their own marriage.

In 60 percent of couples, women still do the bulk of the housework, while women do all of the housework in 10 percent of the couples. In many cases where women work full time, they still do more of the housework, but another 25 percent of couples attempt to split these household chores equally. There are even some couples in which the man does the bulk of the housework. These couples tend to be younger. They also tend to be more affluent.

The researchers attributed the higher divorce rates in couples who attempt to divide the housework equally to differences in attitudes and values. The couples where the women do more of the housework may be more traditional in their views of both marriage and divorce. The couples that divided the work more equally may have more modern views of marriage and of divorce. Hence, these couples may be more open to divorce as an option if their marriage is not working out as they had hoped.

There are so many of these studies and reports that come up with different results that it can be difficult for most people to understand it all. However, it is important to keep in mind that every couple is different and there is no magic solution to keeping a marriage together.

Source: Forbes, “Could Sharing Housework Equally Send You To Divorce Court?” Jenna Goudreau, Oct. 5, 2012