Spouses Sharing Housework Equally

Introduction

Historically, household activities have been presumed to be the obligations of women. With the onset of industrialization, much of the western societies began to appreciate the roles that women can play in the new factories. For instance, women were presumed to be better secretaries than men, and it was favored that they ought to relieve men of such duties so that they can concentrate of other, say, physically demanding roles. This left little time for the women to look after their homes. With the onset of the two World Wars, the challenges that women faced as they attempted to balance work and family engagements were compounded. This happened because as men joined the armies, factories had no choice but to require women to have longer working hours so as to compensate for the destabilization that resulted from massive enlisting of men in the armies (Bergmann 85).

Sharing Housework Equally

The aforementioned situation made it necessary to have spouses share duties equally as this served to facilitate the creation of an extra amount of family time, even with its limited availability. Furthermore, women began considering men as equals especially after it occurred to them that they could work as sufficiently as men in the factories and other places of work (Bell and Weinberg 77). The current diversification of production industries and the associated markets have increased the demand for the women input in the labor market. While women’s participation in the labor force has been increasing rapidly, the same cannot be said about the division of roles in the home environment. Available statistics even with the increased campaigning, division of household duties is still disadvantageous to women (Cuvillier 22).

Women continue to play the roles that they have acquired overtime in a more or less like their mothers did when they were still in childhood. However, there has been a gradual but steady change of attitudes among the partners in marriages. Men and women have begun abandoning their long held believes that household chores cannot be shared equitably. Nevertheless, those who are open-minded perceive the sharing of chores to be normal. In this regard, the progressive attitude facilitates an equitable sharing of roles in the house. However, men are still regarded to be enjoying a favorable position as it is rare for them to, say, cook, wash the dishes, or even assist the children whenever they are having a bath (Blau and Kahn 49).

While the division of labor in the paid workforce has been given much thought, this equitability is not reflected in the home environment. With the growing participation of women in the conventional labor force, couples are continually experiencing the pressure to manage their competing demands so that everyone can, at least, assist when it comes to performing duties in the homes. Division of labor in the house hold saves time for everyone. In fact, when everyone participates in lending a hand, marital conflicts reduces, and this enables partners and their children to find the family life fulfilling.

Traditionally, women have presumed to be suited for the home environment. There have been arguments that their biological nature orients them towards household engagements as opposed to their male counterparts. With a significant number of women finding the demand to work outside the home environment to be irresistible it has become imperative for the man and woman to assist one another upon their retirement from their routine engagements. This enables everyone to contribute towards establishing a balance between work engagements and the domestic chore, a situation that benefits the entire family. In this regard, available statistics have indicated that as an extra number of women get involved with work outside their homes, their responsibility for housework tend to decline. In order to balance such a scenario, couples engage house-helps who are tasked with assisting with some of the most demanding duties in the homes. This enables the couple to have a reduced amount of tasks after they retire from their routine engagements (Blumstein & Schwartz 55).

Over the last few years, there has been a positive change in husband’s housework allocation. Though men are increasing their engagement in the household, gender inequality still exists when it comes to sharing of the housework. Even when a woman is employed, she still bears primary responsibility for the household chores and childcare. Members of the male gender do still find it awkward to share roles with their wives, even when they all happen to have a relatively the same level of engagements. In order to redress this disadvantageous situation, the authorizes, well wishers, and several other organizations have been emphasizing on the need to demonstrate fellow feeling by sharing duties in the home environment (Bergmann 11).

In its contemporary setting, a home environment necessitates teamwork between the two partners as well as their children so as to facilitate effective communication as well as understanding amongst the members of the household. This can only be possible through an efficient and equitable sharing of domestic chores as this serves to empower the individual members to work and conduct him/her for the good of the family (Becker). In this regard, everyone subordinates her or his personal opinions and goals to the efficiency and the unity of the family unit, a scenario which facilitates the achievement of an acceptable level success in the relationship. Indeed, teamwork enhances cooperation among the partners, and this empowers them to work optimally so as to aid the growth and advancement of the society. In fact, what happens in the society is a reflection of the developments in the family units. Though there may variations in opinions, the act of working jointly is empowering (Becker 19).

Equitable sharing of roles as well as working as a team proves to be beneficial for two reasons. Firstly, it acts as a motivating drive which helps in: stabilizing the family unit, putting the family’s human resource into action, building a loving relationship, improving the couple’s efficiency, and the man and wife to meet their family’s goals. It is, in fact, motivating, and it enables the members of a family unit to remain loyal to each other and, by extension, to the society. Having properly functioning and loving marriage relationships enhances harmony in the society as every individual feel that he/she participate in its wellbeing as well as its development. As it has already been mentioned, this royalty results in stability, which is extremely influential as the couple endeavors to have a respected family (Becker 19).

Sharing of the domestic shores and motivation enables the family unit to utilize its time and resource optimally, and this helps to build the couple’s willingness to continue cooperating. Such cooperation is, consequently, reflected in other aspects of the two individuals’ life. In fact, it is for this reason that observers argue that the family background of an individual impacts on his/her productivity. This is because of the manner in which it helps in filling the gap between the willingness and ability of the family member to complete a task. This benefit the family as it leads to an increased level of productivity while reducing the cost that is incurred while accomplishing the household activities (Blau and Winkler 3). A motivated family member is a goal-oriented individual who works purposefully and for the good of his/her family and this makes everyone to be happy.

For a couple to have a sense of purpose, it is encouraged that the partners engage in tasks that require them to have a simultaneous co-operation and co-ordination. Introducing incentive plans is one of the methods that can maximize the partners’ satisfaction, which in effect improves the level and quality of their house work. These plans include may not be necessarily monetary as the aim is to show that a partner recognizes the good performance of the other (Blau and Kahn 28).

When one is rewarded in some way, he/she feels appreciated, and this reduces discontent while promoting love. An example of a reward may be an exemption from the following day’s duties. Shared obligations facilitate the building of team spirit in a relationship, a situation that helps in renewing enthusiasm amongst the partners. Sharing family work makes the partners realize that the support the other person have for them is secure. Moreover, it is during these instances that the partners enhance the knowledge of each other. Such knowledge reduces the probability of the existence of latent hostility between the lovers. The main advantage of this reduced hostility is that each one of the members feels free to air his/her views at the home (Blumstein and Schwartz 23).

Addressing each other’s views while working helps in reducing instances when a partner may be tempted to discount the contributions of the other a scenario would demoralize partner and put the future of the family in jeopardy. Recognizing this heightens comfort and compels every partner to work towards the realization of the common goal that the family has (Clunis and Green 10). This is because, despite the fact that communication is the most effective tool for fostering love and understanding, and enhanced social environment profoundly improves the partners’ satisfaction. Working together as a team enhances the social aspect of the relationship and this enables the partners to balance work with the family roles in an effective manner. For this reason, working as a team is encouraging as it serves to reduce the unhealthy completion amongst the partners as well as the rest of the family members (Curry and Clifford). Despite the apparent benefits of being in a relationship, most relationships are ill-managed, and this challenges their future. It is therefore imperative to understand and support each other’s views and wishes, especially while sharing domestic chores.

Conclusion

In conclusion, contrary to the popular belief, the sharing of household work does enhance understanding and respect in a relationship. Every member feel appreciated, and as such, he/she acts in a manner that is aimed at expressing the gratitude of being loved and cared for. This paper has indicated that it is important to divide the chores so as to enhance love and fellow feeling in a household. According to the available literature on the subject, sharing instills confidence and calmness, and this makes everyone enjoy the company of other family members. It also reduces the levels of tension which, actually, prompts the couple to work optimally even in their roles outside their home (Cuvillier 20). Although having specified roles would facilitate accountability, the best strategy would be to emphasize on initiative. Whenever the partners are prompted by initiative, they register excellent performance, a situation which, in most instances, makes him/her to be appreciated in the home. This is empowering and, as such, the couple teaches their children to have the initiative to participate without restraint (Cuvillier 20).