Egalitarianism, Housework, and Sexual Frequency in Marriage

Abstract

Changes in the nature of marriage have spurred a debate about the consequences of shifts to more egalitarian relationships, and media interest in the debate has crystallized around claims that men who participate in housework get more sex. However, little systematic or representative research supports the claim that women, in essence, exchange sex for men’s participation in housework. Although research and theory support the expectation that egalitarian marriages are higher quality, other studies underscore the ongoing importance of traditional gender behavior and gender display in marriage. Using data from Wave II of the National Survey of Families and Households, this study investigates the links between men’s participation in core (traditionally female) and non-core (traditionally male) household tasks and sexual frequency. Results show that both husbands and wives in couples with more traditional housework arrangements report higher sexual frequency, suggesting the importance of gender display rather than marital exchange for sex between heterosexual married partners.

The Division of Child Care, Sexual Intimacy, and Relationship Quality in Couples

“…Indeed, research shows that couples who share housework and breadwinning responsibilities have lower levels of intimacy and are more likely to see their relationships dissolve than couples with a traditionally gendered division of labor (Kornrich, Brines, and Leupp 2013;Rogers 2004;Schwartz 1995).…”

“…Rotating shifts and working non-day shifts (i.e., 2 nd or 3 rd shift) are associated with higher levels of couple conflict and psychological distress among parents (Perry-Jenkins, Goldberg, Pierce, and Sayer 2007) as well as less time together (Wight, Raley, and Bianchi 2008). Losing time with each other may be especially consequential to couples' relationships as time together is a primary predictor of sexual intimacy (Gager and Yabiku 2010;Kornrich, Brines, and Leupp 2013), and subsequently, overall relationship happiness and satisfaction as sexually content spouses have happier and more stable relationships than couples who are dissatisfied with their sex lives (for review see Sprecher et al 2004). Although the division of childcare may negatively affect couples' relationship quality by reducing both time together and sexual intimacy, preliminary evidence suggests that equally sharing childcare is a net positive for couples.…”

“…Research shows that sharing domestic labor and breadwinning responsibilities can be problematic for couples' happiness, stability, and sexual intimacy (Frisco and Williams 2003;Rogers 2004;Kornrich, Brines, and Leupp 2013;Schwartz 1995). Many of these findings, nonetheless, are based on data that are decades old.…”

Comparison of Prospective and Retrospective Measurements of Frequency of Sexual Intercourse

“…For example, women in the United States have gained increased access to newer forms of contraception including intrauterine devices, contraceptive rings, and implants [12]. Continuing shifts in gender roles and egalitarianism in marriages also have been associated with changes in frequencies of sexual intercourse [13]. Thus, potentially informative contemporary research on sexual intercourse frequency is lacking.…”

Orgasmic Bodies

“…The material advantages of class might create more opportunities to engage in sex as a recreational activity, with the greater availability of time and effort to create the romance said to be essential to women's arousal. Sexual practices have been shown to vary depending on the vagaries of domestic economic life and the household division of labour (Elliot and Umberson, 2008;Kornrich, Brines and Leupp, 2012).…”