Study Finds Sharing Housework Increases Divorce Risk

The results of a new study are bound to raise eyebrows, and quite a few hackles.  According to the study, couples who share in the housework are much more likely to get divorced. The report finds that the divorce rate for couples, who share household duties, seems to be as much as 50% higher than for couples who do not share housework.  The findings of the study are extremely intriguing, and have also been greeted with anger by many gender equality groups. The study is titled Equality in the Home, and in it, the researchers say that they found that sharing equal responsibilities in the house did not necessarily lead to feelings of contentment in the marriage.  In fact, the researchers say that they were surprised at the lack of correlation between equal roles for both spouses, and the quality of life they enjoyed. People tend to believe that when both spouses share housework, and have equal roles in the relationship, they have a better chance at a strong marriage.  The data shows just the opposite. The reasons for the higher divorce rates among people who share housework may have more to do with their values as a married couple, and less to do with the nature of the chores that they share.  For instance, the higher divorce rates involve modern couples, in which both partners work, and both believe in sharing household duties. In such marriages, the rules are laid out strictly in black and white, and both spouses have clear expectations from the other.  This possibly creates feelings of stress, resentment, and may make for a tense relationship, ultimately leading the two to divorce court.