A new study reveals that couples who share childcare duties are more satisfied with their sex lives and their relationship, HealthDay News reports.
"Relationships with respect to child care have changed greatly over time," said study author Daniel Carlson, an assistant professor of sociology at Georgia State University in Atlanta, according to HealthDay News. "And even though there's really not been much research specifically on the role of child care, we have known for a while that sharing labor equally, whether paid or unpaid, is something that couples have been moving towards, and appears to be something they seem to prefer.
"The main story here is that this study clearly shows that when it comes to child care, when couples share the workload and both partners pitch in, it produces higher quality solid relationships, less conflict, better communication and more intimacy."
The study surveyed 500 heterosexual couples who were parents, married as well as those who were living together.
According to HealthDay News, Robin Simon, a professor in the department of sociology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., said, "This isn't surprising at all. These findings are supported by decades of research that has examined the mental health outcomes among parents who split up chores equitably. And any way you look at it, by every measure, studies have consistently found that egalitarian marriages end up making for more satisfying relationships."
Carlson, along with graduate students and study co-authors Sarah Hanson and Andrea Fitzroy, will present finding at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting in Chicago.
