Doing housework together can improve relationships

The subject of how the division of housework can affect relationships is once again under the spotlight, with a new study from Brigham Young University claiming that couples who carry out the work together have a stronger and happier relationship.

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

The study also found that the success of a marriage is influenced by the quality of the fathers’ relationship with their kids.

“For women, dad having a good relationship with the kids means that dad and mom are probably going to have a better relationship,” Holmes said.

Having children is known to be a potential cause of strain in a couple’s relationship, and leads to an increase in household jobs.  Research has shown that fathers typically do twice as much housework after the first baby arrives. Mothers, however, do about five times more housework than before.

According to the study, there may well be some truth in the saying: happy wife, happy life.

“When wives are satisfied with the division of labour, both spouses report higher marital quality,” Holmes said.