Saturday, January 08, 2011

Not Popularizable! On Men's House Chores And Divorce

The gender studies which get popularized must veer in a certain direction. We all know that. Therefore, this study cannot be popularized:

Divorce rates are lower in families where husbands help more with housework, shopping and childcare, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

A study of 3,500 British married couples after the birth of their first child found that the more husbands helped, the lower the incidence of divorce.
The study has problems, of course. For instance, the estimated amount of the husband's housework was based on the wife's reporting. But the sample size is respectable and the findings should fit beautifully into the American pro-marriage-and-anti-divorce schools of thought! At least as well as the argument that it's wives with paid jobs which destroy marriages. But, alas, no popularizer or pro-marriage organization has grabbed it.

Why not? Because its conclusions are not liked. As simple as that.