Listen up men. Fancy more bedtime with your partners? Sharing the burden of household chores, including childcare can help, suggests a new study.
The study's findings are in contrast to those done in the past which suggest men and women breaking stereotypes of responsibilities were muting the masculinity/femininity in the union that propelled sexual desire. Instead, the study suggests men helping in household chores induced a sense of fairness in women and bumped up satisfaction which in turn sent couples more often to bed together.
"Indeed, as recently as 2013, an article in the American Sociological Review found that couples who divided housework more equally had lower marital and sexual satisfaction and less frequent sex than couples where the woman did the bulk of the household labor," said Dr. Sharon Sassler at Cornell University.
Recent data used in the study showed contemporary couples that believed in equal division of labor are those that reported an increase in frequency of sex. Other groups, including those who adhered to traditional roles of men and women, witnessed a decline.
"Couples report having more and higher quality sex when they are satisfied with their relationships. In today's social climate, relationship quality and stability are generally highest when couples divide up the household labor in a way they see as equitable or fair," Dr. Sassler notes.
Interestingly, analysis of the data also showed couples that shared childcare when compared to couples where the woman or the man did most of it, not just reported get it on more frequently, but also reported greater sexual satisfaction. The study, which is yet to be published, suggests today's couples find equality more erotic while difference in the long haul is perceived as damaging.
