Research Says The Woman In A Man's Life Can Change Him In These 6 Ways
Yan Krukau | Canva Some of the best men I know grew up around women. Whether it's sisters, moms, or close female friends, those early relationships seem to shape how they move through the world. For some reason, growing up with at least one female takes the edge off some men: their eyes don't bulge out of their heads when you ask them to put the toilet seat down, or faint at the sight of a tampon when it accidentally falls out of your purse. They're often more comfortable, more aware, and less thrown off by things that might make other guys act weird or defensive.
That influence doesn't stop in childhood. Research shows that the woman in a man's life, whether she's a daughter, partner, coworker, or sibling, can change how he thinks, behaves, and even his attitude at work and at home. From his views on gender roles to his contributions around the house, these relationships have more impact than most people realize.
The six ways research says a woman in a man's life can change him:
1. Male CEOs with daughters tend to narrow the gender wage gap
Getty Images / Unsplash+
When male CEOs have daughters, women's relative pay at their firm increases. In one study, researchers examined the detailed data on employees in Denmark's private sector, focusing on the salaries of 734,200 workers across 6,320 firms from 1995 through 2006.
The data included information on CEOs and the genders and birth dates of their children. Overall in Denmark, the gender wage gap is 21.5 percent (not adjusted for position or hours worked), but when a daughter was born to a male CEO, the gender gap at his company closed by 0.5 percentage points.
When the researchers broke the data down further, they found that if the daughter was the first daughter or first child, the gap closed even more.
2. Having a daughter makes men less supportive of traditional gender roles
Juliane Liebermann / Unsplash
Once a man has a daughter, the abstract idea of gender inequality becomes personal. He's no longer thinking about "women in the workforce," he's thinking about his kid's future. That shift in perspective seems to be enough to move the needle on some pretty deeply held beliefs.
A study in the Social Forces Journal found that men with a daughter aren't as likely to support traditional gender roles. Fathers of daughters are less likely to believe that a woman's place is in the home and are more likely to agree that men should help out around the house.
3. Growing up with sisters can shape how men view housework
olia danilevich / Pexels
Men who grew up with sisters don't always become more helpful at home. Instead, they're more likely to be more politically conservative, according to a paper published in the Journal of Politics. In households with sisters, girls were far more likely to be assigned traditionally female tasks, such as doing the dishes and cleaning.
This quietly taught their brothers that housework was simply someone else's job. That early lesson, it turns out, tends to stick well into adulthood.
4. Men with stay-at-home wives are more likely to adopt traditional (and sometimes limiting) views of women
Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels
In a study published on the Social Science Research Network, researchers found that husbands in traditional marriages (relative to men in modern marriages) exhibited attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that undermine women's roles in the workplace, including denying promotions to qualified women. Yikes.
Men who come home to a traditional domestic arrangement begin to unconsciously see it as the natural order of things and bring those expectations to the office. It's not necessarily intentional, which almost makes it more unsettling
5. Men in female-dominated careers tend to do more housework
RDNE Stock project / Pexels
Men who work closely with women every day often gain a better appreciation for the labor women typically take on. Research shows they’re more likely to contribute at home compared to men in male-dominated fields. Good news for women with husbands who would rather sit on the couch and watch TV.
Men in female-dominated fields did about 25% more household chores than men in male-dominated ones. One theory is that working alongside women all day makes men more attuned to the value of such labor.
6. Men with higher-earning wives often don't increase their share of housework
Ramon Ivan Moreno Prieto / iStock
Even when women earn more, the household balance doesn't always shift. Unfortunately, men whose wives earn more than they do aren't very willing to do housework, says a National Bureau of Economic Research study. It only underscores how deeply rooted some expectations still are.
Women, be aware of how you can change the men in your life, and work to make those changes positive. It will improve things for everyone at home and at work.
Christine Schoenwald is a writer, performer, and frequent contributor to YourTango. She's had articles featured in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Bustle, Medium, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and Woman's Day, among many others.
