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Study Shows Doing Chores Together May Improve Marriage

C. Price

Written by: C. Price

C. Price

C. Price is part of DatingAdvice.com's content team. She writes advice articles, how-to guides, and studies — all relating to dating, relationships, love, sex, and more.

Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

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Reviewed by: Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks is the Editor-in-Chief at DatingAdvice.com. When she was growing up, her family teased her for being "boy crazy," but she preferred to think of herself as a budding dating and relationship expert. As an English major at the University of Florida, Amber honed her communication skills to write clearly, knowledgeably, and passionately about a variety of subjects. Now with over 1,800 lifestyle articles to her name, Amber brings her tireless wit and relatable experiences to DatingAdvice.com. She has been quoted as a dating expert by The Washington Times, Cosmopolitan, The New York Post, Bustle, Salon, Well+Good, and AskMen.

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Can sharing household chores with your partner strengthen your marriage? Researchers at the University of Missouri and Utah State suggest it might.

The study found doing chores together can improve a couple’s marriage, especially if Dad is spending time with the children.

Looking at the household habits of 160 couples, researchers examined the ways partners strengthened or hurt their marriages through their division of labor, especially right after a new child was born.

Researchers said the time right after birth is especially sensitive for parents because the volume of household chores multiplies dramatically — and unevenly.

The average man doubles his household chores after the birth of a child, but the average woman increases her workload by five times.

“Doing chores together can improve a couple’s marriage,

especially if Dad is spending time with the children.”

Researchers found there are two ways men can help bridge this gap and prevent marital friction after the birth of a child.

1. Men can spend time with their child.

Men who spent time with their child experienced more marital satisfaction than men who had a poor relationship with their child.

2. Men can perform chores alongside their wives.

Researchers noted the volume of work a man performs compared with the volume of work his wife performs is less important for marital satisfaction than her perception that the two are dividing labor equally.

“We found it didn’t matter who did what but how satisfied people were with the division of labor,” said study researcher Erin Holmes. “We found when wives are doing work together with their husbands, they are more satisfied with the division of labor.”

Source: BYU.edu.