Husbands Who Share Household Chores Have More Sex, Study Says

Not very long ago, 2014 in fact, a study came out that couples who shared housework were less satisfied with their sex lives and had less sex than couples with a more traditional division of household labor. It was the 21st centure and yet it felt like we were still in the 1950s. Dark days indeed.

Luckily, a new study has come out saying that these old rules are not only outdated, they're completely false, and that couples who share housework actually have more sex.

The study, "A Reversal in Predictors of Sexual Frequency and Satisfaction in Marriage," presented by lead author Professor Sharon Sassler to the Council on Contemporary Families, found that when couples share similar tasks rather than different, gender-stereotyped ones, it deepens desire.

"Contemporary couples who adhere to a more egalitarian division of labor are the only couples who have experienced an increase in sexual frequency compared to their counterparts of the past," said Sassler. "Other groups — including those where the woman does the bulk of the housework — have experienced declines in sexual frequency. This finding is particularly notable given reports indicating that sexual frequency has generally declined worldwide over the past few decades."

Meredith Rollins, the editor-in-chief of Redbook Magazine, agrees that couples who change up their chores are happier and more satisfied.

"In relationships you tend to get stuck in a routine," Rollins told ABC News. "You always do this. I always do that, so mixing things up just keeps things fresh."

Things have certainly changed since the 1950s.

"Couples report having more and higher quality sex when they are satisfied in their realtionships," Sassler writes. "In today's social climate, relationship quality and stability are generally highest when couples divide up the household labor in a way they see as equitable or fair."

One of the best ways to have a deeper understanding of what another person does? Swap chores every now and then.

"The other person in the partnership is probably doing a lot more than you're giving them credit for, so by trying it out and doing it yourself, you can maybe appreciate what they're doing a little more."

Sassler sums it up perfectly: "Sharing housework is now perceived as a sexual turn-on." Gentlemen, start your vacuums.