The Associated Press reported on yet another gender-based study today. This particular report was compiled by the Council on Contemporary Families and concerns the changing roles of men in contribution to housework and childcare. The study findings are pretty predictable: men are doing more than they used to. But the aspect of the study the press has clung to is the "Men who do more housework get more sex!" angle. The text of the actual report contains one reference to the amount of sex being had in correlation to the amount of male housework being done, and it is this: "Equitable sharing of housework is associated with higher levels of marital satisfaction — and sometimes more sex too!" All the best scientific reporting has exclamation points in it. (click, 'more')
Dubious scientific import aside, why frame the article as "men who do housework get more sex"? Aren't the women getting more sex, too? The article seems to suggest that women are actually turned on by watching their mates do housework. "Oh, Johnny is picking up his socks. perhaps I should Hoover something other than the floor!" San Francisco psychologist Joshua Coleman seems to think this argument holds water:
"If a guy does housework, it looks to the woman like he really cares about her -- he's not treating her like a servant,'' said Coleman, who is affiliated with the Council on Contemporary Families. ''And if a woman feels stressed out because the house is a mess and the guy's sitting on the couch while she's vacuuming, that's not going to put her in the mood.''
In other words, men should help out around the house to get laid, not because it's the fair thing to do. And women should use sex as a bargaining chip. Because, you know, they don't really like it. Isn't it possible that couples who share housework equally have more sex because they're in a relationship built on mutual respect instead of tired Donna Reed–era gender roles? A thousand sighs. I heave them.— Andy Wright
