Study: Marriages With Equal Gender Roles Are More Satisfying For Both Men and Women
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There are quite a few studies out there that compare gender roles and marriage success, many of which revolve around the age-old discussion concerning the division of household chores and how it affects marriage satisfaction and divorce rates. Although most of this research finds that, in reality, women still hold a majority of the household responsibilities, a new set of data shows that both men and women would actually prefer otherwise.
The Washington Post recently published an article showing that men and women both find egalitarian marriages more satisfying. That’s mainly based on this:
In 1977, CBS News/The New York Times surveyed Americans with the following question: “What kind of marriage do you think is the more satisfying way of life — one where the husband provides for the family and the wife takes care of the house and children, or one where the husband and wife both have jobs, both do housework, and both take care of the children?” Half of women, and just shy of half of men, chose the second option.
By 2011, when the question was asked again by CBS News/60 Minutes/Vanity Fair, responses had changed dramatically. About two-thirds of men and three-quarters of women said that more egalitarian marriages were more satisfying.
The same egalitarian preferences were found among men and women of varying ages and incomes, too. You can see those numbers and read the entire study—there’s a handy little graph with the numbers laid out—here.
RELATED: Ladies, Just Do All the Housework Yourself and You Won’t Get Divorced, Says Study
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