For thousands of years, men and women were generally known for their long- established roles. Men were seen as physically strong as compared to women, therefore they were seen indulging in external activities; and women, on the other hand, were considered responsible for child’s upbringing, doing chores and house keeping etc, therefore have restricted contribution to outside environment. In short, men were seen as bread winners and women role was perceived as house wives that’s why the roles and duties were pre selected and have less argumentation and clashes.
As the time passes, these stereotypical male / female roles are being challenged. Unlike yesteryear that males will work in labor sphere and females will work in domestic sphere, the trend has been changed. It is now considered backward thinking that females cannot work with men. Time has been changed and modified. Irrespective of physical differences, men and women are created equal. They are equal in intelligence, aptitude, creativity and brain power. Only the thing is in former times, male figure was center of attention and less focus was laid on education and rights of female. Therefore they were kept out of workplace, but in this revolutionary era, modern women are seen working side by side men. Now one can see women in every profession, in any firm, government departments, running NGO’s, burning their mid night oil and contributing day and night and that’s why making progress in every field by leaps and bounds. They are earning equal to or more than their male partners. Hence they are sharing the burden of their men to run their house. Women have been passed through great trials and tribulations to gain this respect and fame. They fought for their rights, emancipation and privileges and hence got this position.
If men and women work in the circle of their limitation, every thing is perfect but when men or women cross their limits, do not full fill their responsibilities, forget/ ignore their duties and rights and make bad or erroneous use of their emancipation, then the consequences are always horrible and appalling. Effort to procure your rights and equality is correct and ethical to some extent but when emancipation of male/female becomes excessive then it can sometimes results in argumentations and dispute which makes extremely difficult for both partners to live with each other and then simple solution seems to both is to end the relation. Recent researches has depicted that divorce rates currently has been greater than ever before. According to them about one in every two marriages end up in divorce and the reason behind is lack of mutual understanding, disregard for each other and poor mental compatibility between couples.
Divorce rates are high in those advanced societies in which women are working equal to men. Hence, we can say it to some extent that there is some correspondence between divorce rates and married women’s contribution in the work fields. Moreover, it can also be supported from literature review as it is illustrated that in 1990, about four out of ten marriages were ending in divorce. Not only this but at that time only one out of five women are working in the work force. Now with the passage of time as the proportion of working women has increased the divorce rate is also directly increased. As the roles have been exchanged that is women are working in the laborsphere, they spend little time at home, they have no time for their family, they cannot give their time to their children and even they don’t know about their children progress reports. Moreover what to cook, what to wear, washing clothes, house keeping all the things are overlooked and their male partners not only working in the labor sphere but in their spare time also looking after their home, resolving their children problem and contributing to the domestic sphere.
Couples are more likely to divorce if the husband does half the domestic chores.
Norwegian researchers found that the divorce rate among couples who shared domestic chores equally was around 50 percent higher than among those where the woman did most of the work. Women should work but within their limits, they have to maintain balance in their lives by not staying out late at night, giving time to their family and going out with them on weekends, paying attention to home. If they will not follow this, their emancipation would have negative impact on their lives. Hence this role discrepancy and emancipation has much tendency to cause strain between spouses which has implications of the future instability of the family and that can ultimately lead to divorce. It is said that:
Because male gender is not only physically strong then women but also cognitively and emotionally, and also they have the tendency to cope with the environmental stress in much better way then women. They are not accountable for domestic chores. It will be simply depletion of their abilities. But men alone can not carry out the expenditures of their house hold, therefore women contribution is seemed essential for sharing his burden but this does not mean that she largely overlook his domestic job. If she really has desire to save her home and also to continue her job, she has to take precautions steps and always has to be vigilant. She need to discuss her problems with her spouse and if he had issues with her job or he is not satisfied and wants her to look after house instead of going outside then she must show compliance to him. Only and only then there will be no harm of home breakage and relation splintering.
(Sources: MedicalDaily / News.com.au / Telegraph )