Why CEOs should do housework

Bob from Denver is quite right– wealthier couples purchase domestic services in the market to avoid arguing about whose turn it is to clean the bathroom. Matt in San Diego is actually getting to the mechanisms behind the effects, too, in that ‘good’ husbands want give and take in a marriage. Other research shows that couples where husbands contribute to housework are also more likely to have additional children. Must result from all that additional sex they get…

Without a deep read this appears yet another attempt to feminize the American male. Those of us fortunate enough to have a great wife and not in the chauvinistic column help because we didn’t get married to be served, but for love and to build something together. Telling me you’ll get more sex if you do more housework appears to be leading horses to water, which leads me to discount your argument.

I would think that a “CEO”’s wife is just going to hire a maid to do the housework for her. Is the reason why the author stuck “CEO” into the article title to get people to read this? If so, it’s pathetic.

While it is interesting to note the correlation between shared house-work and sex, I really wander what the causation is.

Perhaps we should state it that in the couples where sex is more frequent, the male does more housework? Ah, but that wouldn’t be motivating the presumed male CEOs, huh?

Maybe the most insightful thing I have read in a long time. I totally agree. I do laundry, make beds, clean up the kitchen and grill which most men view as their only contribution to cooking. I also do my best to help out with the kids so she can have some quiet time during the days whenever possible. I am a CEO. Balance is everything in life.

And as for the sex well……

David….I think you got it dialed in there man. Doing it the “right” way is subjective and likely creates as many arguments as whether or not it was done at all. If a partner does a chore and still gets h-ll for it then they will default to why bother, I am going to be yelled at for it anyway.

Definitely agree with this equation – men should earn 60% of the income and do 40% of the chores. Next time she tells you to do the dishes or take our the trash, put up or get out!

Generally speaking, when something isn’t important to somebody, they’re not going to view it the same as someone who does view it as important, or really give it much thought or effort. It all comes down to how you view things, both parties. I don’t feel the need to do a load of laundry when the hamper is 1/3 of the way full and I am not running out of clothes. My wife then complains that she does the laundry most of the time. When I tell her I will take care of it when it NEEDS to be done, rather than doing it just because there’s a few pieces of clothes in the hamper, she gets upset (This is of course, just one example). I think it is fair to say that the majority of American households are decorated, organized, etc. by the female partner, and many times (In my experience, as well as listening to plenty of other married couples)the result is things having to be done “their way” to be perceived as done “correctly”, or the offender is deemed lazy, or unwilling to do their fair share. It is this attitude, by both parties that needs to be adjusted, with both parties coming to a compromise. In regard to the author’s statement of the sex being better, all that would show is that you’re holding back otherwise, and it just may be the reason you weren’t getting any help in the first place. The chicken and the egg debate continues, which came first? Which partner was neglected first, did the sex life drop off because men weren’t doing the housework the way she wanted? Or did you stop doing the housework because the sex life wasn’t what you wanted?

Fascinating post Pattie. My girlfriend and I share our apartment duties. She works part-time so has more home time to do laundry and cook dinner. However, I happily do the dishes every night (no dishwasher) and all the hard cleaning like vacuuming, mopping the floors and scrubbing the bathroom.

And I’m pleased to say we get along amazingly well! Not one fight in the 13 months we’ve been together.