Divorce rates are lower in families where husbands help more with housework, shopping and childcare, according to a major new study from the London School of Economics (LSE).
Based on 3,500 British married couples after the birth of their first child, Men’s Unpaid Work and Divorce: Reassessing Specialisation and Trade found that the more husbands helped, the lower the incidence of divorce.
The authors believe the results explode the theory that marriages are most stable if men focus on paid work and women are responsible for housework.
Instead they believe, the study shows that fathers’ contribution to housework and childcare stabilises marriage, regardless of mothers’ employment status.
Dr Wendy Sigle-Rushton, a senior lecturer in social policy at the LSE and author of the study, said: ‘In economic and sociological research, there has been too great an emphasis on women’s paid work and not enough attention given to the division of unpaid work.’
For many years economists have linked rising divorce rates, which began in the early 1960s, with a growth in the amount of married women who work, the believe marriages in which men take responsibility for paid work and women remain in the home make both spouses better off.
But Dr Sigle-Rushton said: ‘The results suggest that the risk of divorce among working mothers, while greater, is substantially reduced when fathers contribute more to housework and childcare.’
‘The structure of the labour market, rates of female labour-market participation, rates of divorce, and expectations about men’s and women’s gender roles have all changed considerably since 1975. But this study underscores the importance of taking into account relationships between’s men’s behaviour and marital stability.’
Dr Sigle-Rushton is also a research associate at the LSE’s Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion and is one of several UK academics who are part of the Gender Equality Network, itself part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Priority Network Programme.
The findings are published in the latest edition of Feminist Economics.
Tags: chores, couples, Divorce, Equality, equality in the home, housework, London School of economics, tabitha cole, work-life balance, working dads
This post has been commented 6 times
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May 14th, 2010 at 12:20 pmTweets that mention Divorce rates drop if men do their fair share of ‘home’ work « FMWF -- Topsy.com says:
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Women in Business and Kay , Kathryn McTaggart. Kathryn McTaggart said: RT @FMWF: Divorce rates drop if men do their fair share of ‘home’ work: It isn't women working that breaks-up marriages, it… http://bit.ly/aS2XGj [...]
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May 26th, 2010 at 10:38 amChildren of working mothers are telly tubbies: Obesity concerns for latchkey kids « FMWF says:
[...] Do you agree? Take a look at another recent recent study from the London School of Economics, which rather than focussing on the effects of women working, instead looked at the division of [...]
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July 9th, 2010 at 6:03 amHow the way to a woman’s heart is through the housework « FMWF says:
[...] The news comes just weeks after the London School of Economics published the results of a 30 year st… [...]
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October 18th, 2010 at 12:14 pmKeeran says:
I don’t agree with this notion that if men do their fair share of things at home the rate of divorce will be reduced. Since my ex wife had our first child it was agreed that I will go out to work while she will stay at home and look after the child. This was continued when the second child arrived. After 17 years our marrige was over not because I didn’t help her in the house but because she was flirting with men while I was at work. How can a man go out to work full time then come home and continue to work at home to help his wife? Is it fair?
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March 3rd, 2011 at 10:57 amsolovavy says:
from the time you are sharing housework it will emphasize more your relationship.In some cases Women doing alone housework have a low self-esteem,they feel that they are the only investor in that business eventhough men may also the one who bring cash.It’s important for women than men to feel that her husband is sharing their housecare,their passion for family,their feeling that raising child is not only her own responsabilities,that gives her in many ways more insurance that her husband loves and take cares of her
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November 22nd, 2011 at 5:43 amFarah Grenier says:
I dont give damned about the bad economy ! i still make a good amount of income ,i got some good local business going on like this one : check it out you just gotto stay positive and active!! T.C