I found this article interesting ... and even emailed it to a few friends who are constantly singing that familiar old tune "I work all day and he still expects me to come home, cook, clean, do the laundry ...."
According to a study from Washington-based Pew Research Center, women and men agree (surprisingly in near equal numbers) that dividing household chores is crucial to a happy marriage. It actually ranks number three out of nine items associated with successful marriages.
Faithfulness was still ranked number one (duh!), followed by a happy sexual relationship (that earned 70%) and then a whopping 62% for the sharing of household tasks.
I found it interesting that as recent as 1990, less that half of adult considered sharing household duties to be of any significance in determining marital happiness. But now, 17 years later that is the one factor on the list that has grown the most. And not just for double income families. No indeed. This holds true even for those stay at home moms.
And it's not about hating housework. It's about how much husbands appreciate the burdens their wives carry and how much the want to help. It's not about equality as feminists would argue. It's about acknowledgement and appreciation.
Now, speaking as a woman whose hubby did the dinner dishes last night, got up fixed coffee and served me a cup when I stumbled out of the bed an hour later, and is at present pulling those nasty weeds from the back flower garden (who sang these lines from a country song when I volunteer to help ... "they oughta put your picture in a magazine -- cause you're the hardest working woman I've ever seen .... baby you just sit there and relax") ... well folks,I can safely say that at that moment he was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen and you can take it to the bank that when the sun goes down and we have the patio and pool all too ourselves, he's gonna get real lucky.
If you want to read more of the article, you can find it here:
2 comments:
1990 huh? That was the year I married and my husband said, I'll do the dishes since you cooked and I'll do my own laundry and the towels and things but after he got overzealous in the laundry dept I did ask him very sweetly to let me wash my own clothes since my size 8 sweater was now child size 2. (LOL)
It has been bliss because of that sharing attitude and oh so many other considerate things he does like bringing me coffee and food when I forget to break from writing. Or sharing the cooking and other household chores. He'll come home from Wally's world with six packs of deodorant, powder, toothpaste, etc. because he noticed my supply was running low.
We like to sit on the upstairs porch at night and sip coffee or wine and I so appreciate his attention to the small things because they are the foundation for everything.
Wow Ci, your man just sounds wonderful. Although every man doesn't think like yours. You are one lucky lady. There is some sharing of duties at my house. But I don't think I would call it wanting to help ease the load. And there isn't any appreciation for what has been done. Oh, well, I guess we all can't be as lucky as Ci.
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