A new study reveals that married men who do more traditional female housework have less sex than married men who do more masculine tasks. The study was published in the American Sociological Review on Wednesday by lead author Sabino Kornrich, of the Center for Advanced Studies at the Juan March Institute in Madrid.
Kornrich said, "Our findings suggest the importance of socialized gender roles for sexual frequency in heterosexual marriage." The study, called Egalitarianism, Housework, and Sexual Frequency in Marriage," looked at straight married couples in the United States, with information gathered from the National Survey of Families and Households, the Agence France Press reported.
"Couples in which men participate more in housework typically done by women report having sex less frequently," Kornrich explained. "Similarly, couples in which men participate more in traditionally masculine tasks-such as yard work, paying bills, and auto maintenance-report higher sexual frequency."
According to the AFP, the study was co-authored by University of Washington sociologist Julie Brines and doctoral candidate Katrina Leupp. Both men and women which performed more traditional household labor divisions reported having more sex.
"The results suggest the existence of a gendered set of sexual scripts, in which the traditional performance and display of gender is important for creation of sexual desire and performance of sexual activity," Kornrich told AFP.
But the study's authors made sure to add, "Men who refuse to help around the house could increase conflict in their marriage and lower their wives' marital satisfaction."
Kornrich continued, "Earlier research has found that women's marital satisfaction is indeed linked to men's participation in overall household labor, which encompasses tasks traditionally done by both men and women."
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