There are many ways to improve your marriage. Chores are not typically one of them. However, apart from this Fitness article (which suggests turning it into foreplay), we're yet to hear of a better way of dealing with housework than the New York Times' recent suggestion: outsourcing.
Think about it: while we are at our nine-to-fives; at home there's still a lot of work to do. Cooking, cleaning, garden (and expensive hobby) maintenance; not to mention kids to look after, dogs to walk and social events to plan. Now, while you probably like some of these things, you hate some too.
Considering this, as well as numerous surveys, which found that up to 25% of people who were divorced put, “Disagreements about housework” as the main reason for the split, The Times' claims that housework contributes, “To friction in relationships”, and takes, “Time away from more pleasant activities that increase happiness”, are hardly controversial.
Harvard Business School recently took over 3, 000 people in committed relationships to test whether, “Time-saving purchases”, could overcome this. The study revealed that the couples who spent more money on time-saving services were more satisfied with their relationships, one reason cited being: it enabled them to spend more quality-time together.
Although this is a first-world fix to a luxurious problem, sharing apps like TaskRabbit and Fiverr are making it more and more accessible, providing a safety net from the negative consequences of circumstances beyond your control, such as unexpected strain at work.