Skip Your Woman’s Chores For More Sex
A new study published in the American Sociological Review shows that couples enjoy a better sex life – to the tune of almost 20 more love-making sessions each year – when they stick to more traditional gender roles at home. The average couple has sex about five times each month. That number goes up to almost seven (6.6 to be exact), found University of Washington researchers, when the wife does all the housework – and when the man of the house skips chores which are normally associated with women. Some 4,500 married couples were involved in this study.
Go Fix The Car
“Couples in which men participate more in housework typically done by women report having sex less frequently,” said the study’s lead author Sabino Kornrich, Ph.D. “Similarly, couples in which men participate more in traditionally masculine tasks – such as DIY and car maintenance – report higher sexual frequency.”
Old Gender Ideals
The study findings suggest, apparently, that old gender ideals die hard – they continue to play a crucial role in fuelling our sexual desires. Dr Kornrich explains: “Our definition of attractiveness is linked to the ideal of masculinity and femininity. These ideals are not necessarily the most modern and this may be a hangover of that.”
No Coercion
And the possibility that the women study subjects might have been coerced into having more sex by their very assertive husbands have also been ruled out: Even as sexual frequency was increasing during the course of the study, the researchers did not find any indication of diminished sexual satisfaction – on the part of the wives.
Don’t Stop Doing Housework
But for the husbands who are planning to um, wash their hands of the housework, Dr Kornrich has some words of caution: “Men who refuse to help around the house could increase conflict in their marriage and lower their wives’ marital satisfaction.”
