EditorA new study has surfaced and this time it’s for men only. In a study of 487 families, the parents who split childcare duties evenly reported greater satisfaction both sexually and emotionally. The 487 couples in the study were selected at random and included low to moderate income couples who had children living with them. In all the cases the women were below 45 years old. Though 605 couples were interviewed but the researchers only included the ones where both partners had completed the full survey.
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The results were somewhat different in the couple where the women did most of the childcare as both the parents reported being less content. The researchers also said that men doing a greater share of childcare did not have the same impact. These conclusions have been made from another study called the 2006 Marital and Relationship study, which was a survey into marriage and relationships among heterosexual couples. The study might indicate since both the parents share equal responsibility of the children, they end up being less tired and feel fired up more often for sex.
The recent data was presented at the American Sociological Association and shows that couples where the women performed more than 60 per cent of childcare- specifically in terms of rulemaking, praising and playing ranked the relationship worst in terms of satisfaction. They also felt unhappy about the quality of their sex life. The leader of the study, Dr. Daniel Carlson, who is an assistant professor of sociology at Georgia State University, said,” One of the most important findings is that the only childcare arrangement that appears really problematic or the quality of both a couple’s relationship and sex life is when the women does most or all of the childcare.”
The team found that the fathers could take up more responsibilities of childcare without having any negative impacts on the quality of the couple’s relationship. It was also reported that it is becoming increasingly acceptable for men to opt for a flexible working schedule so that they can help their partners in various domestic tasks. However, the study did not look into things like who performed tasks like feeding or bathing the children. The exact reason why these couples with equal childcare responsibilities are having a better sex life is still to be explored. As a result, the researchers are planning more research into this for further insights.
Zainab Asif
Editorial Staff
